The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Trims Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 148,744 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,609 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.06% of HCA Healthcare worth $60,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $869,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at approximately $95,882,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.6% during the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 225,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,335,000 after buying an additional 3,516 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 118.5% during the third quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 35,493 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,425,000 after buying an additional 19,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.3% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 162,654 shares of the company's stock worth $52,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,136 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $380.29.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 1.1 %

HCA stock traded down $3.48 during trading on Thursday, hitting $325.47. The company had a trading volume of 757,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,202,187. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.61, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $245.84 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $373.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $358.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is 11.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the firm'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 approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 21.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,155 shares of company stock worth $5,608,990 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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.