KBC Group NV Reduces Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

KBC Group NV lessened its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 378,488 shares of the company's stock after selling 63,326 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.15% of HCA Healthcare worth $153,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HCA. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 57.5% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,792,377 shares of the company's stock valued at $931,342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,019,750 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $131,527,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 53.3% in the second quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,472,000 after acquiring an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at about $95,882,000. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1,215.6% during the second quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 160,275 shares of the company's stock worth $51,493,000 after buying an additional 148,092 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on HCA. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com cut HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $385.00.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA traded down $1.04 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $348.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,005,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,179,514. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business's 50-day moving average is $387.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $357.11. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $237.57 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The company has a market capitalization of $88.22 billion, a PE ratio of 15.79, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.68.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at $11,438,494.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is 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.