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

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $381.13.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HCA. StockNews.com upgraded HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $336.00 price target (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $405.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,791,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 1,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,838,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 10,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of HCA opened at $366.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $417.14. The stock has a market cap of $88.29 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $338.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $328.35.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.75 by $0.70. The company had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.81%.

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.