HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $476.61, but opened at $455.02. HCA Healthcare shares last traded at $455.3840, with a volume of 370,506 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Truist Financial increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $460.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $449.00 to $482.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $473.53.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $103.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $427.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $392.20.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $1.32. The company had revenue of $19.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.55 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 792.25% and a net margin of 8.53%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.90 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 11.13%.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,105.73. This represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total transaction of $1,606,670.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,194,716.52. This trade represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Sovran Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Centerpoint Advisors LLC raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 119 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 17.1% during the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.