Plato Investment Management Ltd Boosts Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 51.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,770 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 21.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on HCA shares. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $392.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $385.00.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.7 %

HCA stock traded down $2.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $342.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,859,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,186,336. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $238.82 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14. The company has a market capitalization of $86.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $386.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $357.03.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.85%.

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.