HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $385.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. UBS Group increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays reduced their price target 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 cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This represents a 21.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,155 shares of company stock worth $5,608,990 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 322.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,141,769 shares of the company's stock worth $1,276,909,000 after acquiring an additional 2,397,883 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 57.5% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,792,377 shares of the company's stock valued at $931,342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019,750 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $131,527,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company's stock worth $369,472,000 after acquiring an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meritage Group LP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $150,548,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE HCA traded down $2.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $342.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,863,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,186,336. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71. The stock has a market cap of $86.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.68. The business's 50-day moving average is $385.11 and its 200-day moving average is $357.25. HCA Healthcare has a 52 week low of $238.82 and a 52 week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.85%.

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.