HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Earns Neutral Rating from Analysts at Guggenheim

Research analysts at Guggenheim started coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set a "neutral" rating on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $405.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $385.67.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock traded up $2.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $335.84. 454,005 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,387,455. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $327.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $336.07. The firm has a market cap of $82.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14.

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 quarter last year, the firm earned $5.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $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. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.