Argent Trust Co Increases Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Argent Trust Co boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,456 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth about $62,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. This represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of HCA stock opened at $335.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $82.56 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $417.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $327.57 and a 200-day moving average of $337.04. 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, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.90 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.67.

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.