Advisory Alpha LLC Raises Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Advisory Alpha LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 55.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 949 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 340 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truist Financial Corp raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.5% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 368,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,535,000 after buying an additional 5,522 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.6% during the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 225,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,335,000 after purchasing an additional 3,516 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6.9% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 366,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,338,000 after acquiring an additional 23,748 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 587.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 956 shares of the company’s stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 10.8% in the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 2,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $670,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $403.84 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $105.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $215.96 and a one year high of $409.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $383.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $344.62.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $17.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.05 billion. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 553.13% and a net margin of 8.40%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.29 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 22.46 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on HCA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $359.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were 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 approximately $11,438,494.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,569,729.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,202 shares of company stock worth $6,407,273 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.