Universal Health Services Inc.'s (UHS) second-quarter earnings rose 3.8% as the company continued to benefit from its behavioral-health hospitals' contributions, though it saw weakness in its acute-care facilities.

But the company lowered its adjusted earnings guidance for the year, citing the sluggish recovery, and now expects profit of $4.25 to $4.35 a share. It previously forecast $4.33 to $4.48 a share.

Earnings have climbed for more than a year for Universal Health, which operates medical, surgical and behavioral facilities across the U.S., as its top line has benefited from strong growth at behavioral-health facilities.

The company last month said it plans to pay $500 million in cash to acquire privately held behavioral health-care provider Ascend Health Corp., a purchase that it expects to immediately boost earnings. Ascend operates psychiatric in-patient facilities in a handful of states, with most based in Texas, a state that already has a strong UHS presence.

Universal Health posted a profit of $107.6 million, or $1.10 a share, up from $103.6 million, or $1.04 a share, a year earlier. Revenue grew 0.9% to $1.73 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a $1.11 per-share profit on $1.86 billion of revenue.

Operating margin narrowed to 13.3% from 13.5%.

Revenue from acute-care hospitals fell 2.2% on a same-facility basis as adjusted admissions dropped 1.3%. Revenue per adjusted admission fell 0.9%. Behavioral health hospitals' same-facility revenue rose 4.1%.

Shares closed Thursday at $38.32 and were down 4% on light after-hours trading. The stock is down 1.4% so far this year.

Write to Ben Fox Rubin at ben.rubin@dowjones.com

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