Zacks Investment Management Grows Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Zacks Investment Management raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,117 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,942 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $25,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. The trade was a 21.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA traded down $0.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $319.75. 1,329,227 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,410,131. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $363.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $358.89. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $252.85 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The company has a market cap of $80.99 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $392.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp reduced their price target 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. Barclays cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Raymond James cut HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $380.29.

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.