Zacks Investment Management Sells 61,275 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Zacks Investment Management lowered its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 98.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 842 shares of the company's stock after selling 61,275 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $18,044,000. NRI Wealth Management LC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $2,896,000. Czech National Bank grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 39,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,869,000 after buying an additional 1,691 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth about $1,122,000. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 116,075 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,840,000 after acquiring an additional 8,329 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $336.00 price objective (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim started coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $381.67.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA traded down $13.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $327.69. The stock had a trading volume of 2,801,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,398,770. The company's 50-day moving average is $329.61 and its 200 day moving average is $332.87. The company has a market capitalization of $80.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month 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.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.77 by $0.68. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. The company had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.11%.

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.