Short sellers pulled back ahead of UHS earnings on Monday, while options positioning swung sharply bearish. The healthcare provider reports Q1 results after the bell April 27 with short interest down and put buying surging.
Short interest stands at 2.05 million shares, or 3.7% of the float.
That's down 4.9% over the past week. Short sellers reduced positions steadily through April, reversing a March build. Cost to borrow ticked up 9.4% week-over-week to 0.50%, still modest. Utilisation dropped to 3.8%, well below the 52-week high of 10.9%. Days to cover sits at 2.84.
The retreat suggests bears are taking risk off the table before the print.
Put-call ratio spiked to 10.47 on April 23, elevated but off the 17.06 reading earlier in the week.
The current PCR sits 1.4 standard deviations above the 20-day mean of 3.77. Put buying has dominated the past five sessions, with PCR exceeding 7.0 daily. Prior to this defensive shift, PCR hovered near parity through late March and early April.
The swing signals growing hedging demand heading into the announcement.
No analyst rating changes or price target updates appear in the recent data. Coverage details are unavailable in the snapshot.
Universal Health reported Q4 2025 results February 25, 2026, following an earlier scheduled date of February 26 that was pushed up by one day. The company announced Q1 2026 earnings timing on February 2, confirming the April 27 date that had been initially projected in October 2025.
Recent earnings events show the company typically reports in the after-market window.
No active ORTEX Alpha signals are flagged for UHS. No recent signal triggers appear in the data.
The stock is up 1.4% over the past week but down 3.7% over the past month, currently trading at $181.18.
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