HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stake Reduced by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management cut its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,054,773 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68,480 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 0.39% of HCA Healthcare worth $285,506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA traded down $1.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $307.76. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,044,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,189,320. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.96 and a fifty-two week high of $335.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.66. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $322.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.73.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.01 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.81 billion. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 674.49% and a net margin of 8.20%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.93 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.74 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.16%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 344 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.97, for a total transaction of $110,757.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,452 shares in the company, valued at $789,470.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 876 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.25, for a total transaction of $289,299.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,576 shares in the company, valued at $520,474. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 344 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.97, for a total transaction of $110,757.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,452 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $789,470.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,218,364. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $359.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $316.59.

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.