HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 172,868 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,750 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $73,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,069,974,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 20.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,835,397,000 after acquiring an additional 799,761 shares during the period. Darsana Capital Partners LP grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 46.7% in the second quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,879,000 after purchasing an additional 350,000 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at $410,992,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $371,138,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $504.85 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $445.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $445.45. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $353.99 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The firm has a market cap of $105.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.11.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 198.52% and a net margin of 8.61%. The firm had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.96 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 10.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HCA shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $387.00 to $401.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 31st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $460.00 to $486.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $480.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 21,713 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.95, for a total value of $10,746,849.35. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,949,500. The trade was a 68.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael J. Schlosser sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.65, for a total value of $593,580.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at $713,779.95. This trade represents a 45.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 32,913 shares of company stock worth $16,481,129 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Profile

HCA Healthcare is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other care facilities. Its services include inpatient and outpatient care, emergency treatment, surgery, diagnostic services and specialized care across areas such as cancer and cardiovascular medicine.

The company serves patients in the United States and the United Kingdom through its network of hospitals and outpatient facilities, including surgery centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices.

Founded in 1968, HCA Healthcare is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.