Michael S. Cuffe Sells 8,358 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stock

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at $11,438,494.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.8 %

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $394.68 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $362.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $338.06. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $215.96 and a twelve month high of $403.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.53. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 553.13% and a net margin of 8.40%. The business had revenue of $17.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 22.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $327.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Baird R W raised HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $359.89.

About HCA Healthcare

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.