HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Holdings Lowered by Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,935 shares of the company’s stock after selling 309 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 92.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 108 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $322.82 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $319.77 and a 200-day moving average of $279.63. The company has a market capitalization of $85.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.18. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.96 and a 52-week high of $335.83.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $5.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $17.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.51 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 996.30%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 13.91%.

HCA Healthcare announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $6.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Raymond James boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $308.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $277.00 to $301.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 876 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.25, for a total transaction of $289,299.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $520,474. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 3,861 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total value of $1,185,327.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,880,993. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 876 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.25, for a total transaction of $289,299.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $520,474. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,840 shares of company stock valued at $4,588,869 in the last 90 days. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.