Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 25% share price jump in the last month. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 76% in the last year.

Although its price has surged higher, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Universal Health Services' P/E ratio of 16.2x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in the United States is also close to 18x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

Universal Health Services certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think the company's earnings will be less resilient moving forward. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Does Growth Match The P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the market for P/E ratios like Universal Health Services' to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 42% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 9.6% overall rise in EPS, aided extensively by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 13% per annum as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 10% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we find it interesting that Universal Health Services is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It may be that most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

What We Can Learn From Universal Health Services' P/E?

Universal Health Services' stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/E level with the market. Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

Our examination of Universal Health Services' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for Universal Health Services that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Universal Health Services' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.