Chiron Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Chiron Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,548,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 322.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,141,769 shares of the company's stock worth $1,276,909,000 after buying an additional 2,397,883 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $131,527,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,472,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares during the period. Meritage Group LP bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at about $150,548,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 210.6% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 306,796 shares of the company's stock worth $124,691,000 after buying an additional 208,015 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at $11,438,494.76. This represents a 21.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $317.35. The company had a trading volume of 373,358 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,199,817. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $260.79 and a one year high of $417.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $360.32 and a 200 day moving average of $358.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $80.38 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.63.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HCA. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com cut HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $392.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued 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 $380.29.

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.