Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Boosts Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 9.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,601 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,992 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $7,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Bangor Savings Bank raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 112.5% in the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Baird R W upgraded HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $396.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $359.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.20, for a total transaction of $1,440,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,449 shares in the company, valued at $14,569,729.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.20, for a total transaction of $1,440,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,569,729.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total transaction of $1,085,804.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,436,623.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,844 shares of company stock worth $3,185,932. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $387.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $355.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $335.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.96 and a 52-week high of $403.05.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.53. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.40% and a return on equity of 553.13%. The company had revenue of $17.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.29 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 22.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 13.16%.

HCA Healthcare 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.