HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Purchased by Value Star Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd

Value Star Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 14.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,000 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up approximately 8.3% of Value Star Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Value Star Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 17,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,241,000 after purchasing an additional 4,285 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Group LP acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $150,548,000. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $18,044,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $869,000. Finally, NRI Wealth Management LC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,896,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA traded up $8.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $330.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,868,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,711,464. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $81.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The business's fifty day moving average price is $316.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $347.49.

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HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.90 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is 13.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased 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 report on Monday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $405.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Raymond James cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $385.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. This represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.