HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by Caprock Group LLC

Caprock Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,166 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,425 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Canoe Financial LP bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA traded up $2.13 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $336.93. The stock had a trading volume of 951,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,659,258. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $313.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $353.69.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) 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 last year, the business earned $5.90 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is 12.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Truist Financial decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered HCA Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $385.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $1,363,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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.