Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $406.00 to $355.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective suggests a potential upside of 15.36% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $385.63.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE HCA traded down $1.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $307.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,633,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,208,194. The firm has a market cap of $77.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.63. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $353.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $358.57. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $263.22 and a 1 year high of $417.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 52,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This trade represents a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 322.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,141,769 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,276,909,000 after acquiring an additional 2,397,883 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,669,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $660,842,000 after purchasing an additional 174,946 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,487,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $604,511,000 after buying an additional 41,190 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 12.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,339,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $544,467,000 after acquiring an additional 143,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Darsana Capital Partners LP increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 53.3% during the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company's stock worth $369,472,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About HCA Healthcare

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.