HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Purchased by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,551 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its stake in shares of 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. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the 2nd 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 stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $327.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $371.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $358.61. The company has a market cap of $82.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $246.60 and a one year high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors 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 yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 21.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This represents a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock worth $5,608,990 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.29.

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.