Oppenheimer Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target raised by Oppenheimer from $390.00 to $400.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $365.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Leerink Partners increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $376.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.11.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $361.08 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $394.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $353.54. The stock has a market cap of $94.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $223.73 and a 52-week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $11,438,494.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in 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 buying an additional 45 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 284.0% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.