UBS Group Increases HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target to $438.00

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price upped by UBS Group from $405.00 to $438.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 18.74% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Baird R W raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $359.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $349.28.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA opened at $368.86 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $338.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $327.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.06. HCA Healthcare has a 52 week low of $215.96 and a 52 week high of $369.41.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $17.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.05 billion. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 553.13% and a net margin of 8.40%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.29 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 22.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.20, for a total transaction of $1,440,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,449 shares in the company, valued at $14,569,729.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 1,857 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.05, for a total transaction of $659,327.85. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 17,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,303,912.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.20, for a total value of $1,440,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,569,729.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,844 shares of company stock valued at $3,185,932. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Bangor Savings Bank raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC grew its position 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 last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.