HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Receives $385.67 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $381.67.

A number of brokerages recently commented on HCA. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Guggenheim started coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $336.00 price objective (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $405.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $4,971,757.08. This represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 344.0% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 5.1 %

NYSE:HCA opened at $317.93 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $328.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $333.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the business posted $5.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare 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 was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

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.