Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 17,634 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 49.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,359 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,634 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $25,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 2,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $946,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 587 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 3,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,833,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $417.94 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $339.82 and a 52 week high of $556.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $386.57 and a 200-day moving average of $452.53.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.84 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.21 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 Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

Key HCA Healthcare News

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HCA reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $7.59 per share, narrowly exceeding the $7.56 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $20.23 billion and surpassed expectations. The earnings beat and strong revenue growth likely supported investor confidence in the hospital operator. Almost all of HCA’s Affordable Care Act patients are going uninsured. Here’s how that affected Q2
• Positive Sentiment: Despite lowering its price target from $525 to $475, Mizuho maintained an “outperform” rating, indicating it still sees meaningful upside for HCA after the post-earnings reassessment. Mizuho HCA price-target update
• Positive Sentiment: HCA declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 16. The dividend provides ongoing shareholder return, although its indicated yield is relatively modest. HCA dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA appointed new hospital leadership, naming Jordan Fulkerson chief financial officer of HCA Florida Memorial Hospital and promoting a new chief executive for two Tampa-area hospitals. The changes are unlikely to materially affect near-term valuation. Jordan Fulkerson named CFO
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms reduced HCA price targets following the quarterly report. Oppenheimer, Truist, KeyCorp, Barclays and Baird all lowered their targets, suggesting analysts remain concerned about the outlook even though most retained positive or neutral ratings. HCA analysts slash forecasts after Q2 results
• Negative Sentiment: Nearly all of HCA’s Affordable Care Act patients reportedly became uninsured, raising concerns about payer mix, uncompensated care and reimbursement pressure. ACA patient coverage impact
• Negative Sentiment: Dogwood notified North Carolina officials that HCA may be in “potential noncompliance” with its Mission Hospital sale contract, adding regulatory and operational risk. Mission Hospital sale contract concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of HCA investors. The announcement may add legal overhang, although it does not establish wrongdoing. Pomerantz investor alert

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on HCA. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Argus dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $465.05.

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.