Of America Corp /De/ Bank Acquires 1,580 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stock

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) major shareholder Of America Corp /De/ Bank purchased 1,580 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.28 per share, for a total transaction of $39,942.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $342.25 on Monday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $324.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $340.92.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.90 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HCA. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $405.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

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.