HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Position Increased by Scientech Research LLC

Scientech Research LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 6.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 751 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Scientech Research LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth approximately $231,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 29.9% in the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 13,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,636,000 after buying an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at $566,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 199,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,922,000 after acquiring an additional 26,919 shares during the period. Finally, Brave Warrior Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 182.1% in the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 3,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,438,494.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.05, for a total value of $659,327.85. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 17,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,303,912.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,202 shares of company stock worth $6,407,273. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $359.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $376.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price target on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $359.89.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of HCA stock opened at $406.43 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.96 and a 12 month high of $409.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $380.53 and a 200-day moving average of $343.58. The firm has a market cap of $106.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.06 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, 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 business had revenue of $17.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.29 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 22.46 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.