Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Trims Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. cut its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 66.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,363 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,297 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $5,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $231,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 51.2% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,543,000 after buying an additional 2,584 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 54.3% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,639,000 after acquiring an additional 4,893 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth approximately $95,882,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.6% during the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 225,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,335,000 after purchasing an additional 3,516 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $376.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Leerink Partners increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price objective on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.11.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $360.75 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $222.23 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $394.42 and a 200 day moving average of $353.21. 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 company has a market cap of $94.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.16%.

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.