KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Buys Shares of 66,938 HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 66,938 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,091,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded up $4.65 during trading on Thursday, reaching $341.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,326,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,298,997. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The firm has a market cap of $84.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $323.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $341.86.

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HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.90 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. 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. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $385.67.

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.