Bell Asset Management Ltd Acquires 10,079 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Bell Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 51.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,583 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,079 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare accounts for 1.6% of Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $8,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trek Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 794 shares of the company's stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 209,687 shares of the company's stock worth $62,938,000 after buying an additional 26,208 shares during the last quarter. Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $235,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth approximately $540,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on HCA. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $405.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $385.67.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA traded down $1.92 during trading on Friday, hitting $333.07. 1,677,512 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,389,481. The company has a market capitalization of $82.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $289.98 and a 1-year high of $417.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The business's 50 day moving average is $327.53 and its 200-day moving average is $336.54.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 previous year, the company earned $5.90 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.