HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stock Position Cut by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. cut its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 61.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,521 shares of the company's stock after selling 118,004 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $22,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HCA. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $840,286,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 62.0% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,500,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $450,461,000 after acquiring an additional 574,239 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 85.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,061,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,727,000 after buying an additional 489,916 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 120.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 873,775 shares of the company's stock worth $262,264,000 after purchasing an additional 476,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,121,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE HCA traded up $8.74 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $340.76. 1,416,571 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,395,198. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. 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 business's fifty day moving average price is $330.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $331.32. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. The firm had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.36 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $405.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 target price (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $381.13.

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.