Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. Lowers Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. lowered its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,717 shares of the company's stock after selling 877 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare accounts for about 2.9% of Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $11,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,076 shares of the company's stock worth $923,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 1,821 shares of the company's stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 84,253 shares of the company's stock worth $25,289,000 after purchasing an additional 5,756 shares during the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 56,580 shares of the company's stock worth $16,982,000 after purchasing an additional 5,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global View Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $372,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HCA shares. Raymond James cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $405.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $385.67.

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HCA Healthcare Stock Down 3.8 %

NYSE:HCA opened at $323.33 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $289.98 and a 1-year high of $417.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $317.93 and a 200 day moving average of $346.50. The firm has a market cap of $79.60 billion, a PE ratio of 14.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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