3,216 Shares in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Acquired by Ieq Capital LLC

Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 3,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,254,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $369.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $426.36 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $353.99 and a 12 month high of $556.52. The firm has a market cap of $92.31 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $399.36 and a 200 day moving average of $442.21.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The business had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.