HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) is Consulta Ltd’s 4th Largest Position

Consulta Ltd raised its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 100.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 550,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 275,000 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare accounts for 10.8% of Consulta Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Consulta Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $165,082,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,838,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 10,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,153,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $357.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $333.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $329.41. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. The company had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.36 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Bank of America reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $336.00 price target (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $381.13.

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.