Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Raises Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 756,510 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 93,219 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up about 1.1% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of HCA Healthcare worth $227,066,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE HCA opened at $334.38 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14. The stock has a market cap of $82.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $328.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $334.61.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results 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 period last year, the business posted $5.90 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Guggenheim began coverage on HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $336.00 target price (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Baird R W downgraded HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $381.67.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.