MML Investors Services LLC Has $7.24 Million Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 31.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,816 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,285 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $7,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% during the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HCA. Barclays reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday, November 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $387.13.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock traded down $3.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $311.99. The company had a trading volume of 1,542,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,203,409. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $261.31 and a 52 week high of $417.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $358.55 and a 200-day moving average of $358.60. The firm has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.15, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.63.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,445,700. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,415,579. This trade represents a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare 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.