Franklin Resources Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,656,615 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,106 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.65% of HCA Healthcare worth $497,233,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.5 %

HCA traded up $1.75 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $347.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,249,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,349,682. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.82, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. The stock's 50-day moving average is $326.35 and its 200-day moving average is $340.30. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $289.98 and a 1 year high of $417.14.

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HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 period last year, the firm posted $5.90 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.72 dividend. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.11%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. KeyCorp cut their target price 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. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $385.67.

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.