HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $385.00.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:HCA opened at $342.96 on Friday. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $238.82 and a 12 month high of $417.14. The stock has a market cap of $86.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $386.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $357.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 11.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,445,700. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 21.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990 in the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% in the third quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC now owns 8,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,297,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.8% in the third quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 4,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,652,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.4% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.