HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S cut its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 42.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 96,743 shares of the company's stock after selling 70,678 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $29,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of HCA traded up $5.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $341.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,311,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,387,327. 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 stock has a market cap of $84.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.54, a P/E/G 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $329.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $333.15.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 period last year, the company posted $5.90 EPS. Sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $336.00 target price (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Baird R W lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $381.67.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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.