Magellan Asset Management Ltd Grows Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Magellan Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 527,774 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,740 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare accounts for 1.7% of Magellan Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Magellan Asset Management Ltd owned 0.21% of HCA Healthcare worth $158,411,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.9% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 23,090 shares of the company's stock worth $9,380,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $209,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 50.6% in the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 6,547 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,661,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,498,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth approximately $207,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded up $10.51 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $340.14. 763,115 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,364,484. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $289.98 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The firm has a market cap of $83.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $327.18 and its 200 day moving average is $338.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the business earned $5.90 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.72 dividend. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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 on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. This represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.