HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $486.00

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price hoisted by TD Cowen from $460.00 to $486.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on HCA. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $435.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Leerink Partners restated an “outperform” rating and set a $492.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $475.70.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA stock opened at $472.94 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $102.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $437.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $444.90. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $353.99 and a 52-week high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.65 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.33 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 30.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 10.45%.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,069,974,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 20.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,835,397,000 after buying an additional 799,761 shares in the last quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,879,000 after acquiring an additional 350,000 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth $410,992,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $371,138,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

More HCA Healthcare News

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its HCA price target from $496 to $521 and reaffirmed an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 10% upside from the referenced trading level. Royal Bank of Canada analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen increased its price target for HCA Healthcare, adding to the series of favorable analyst revisions following the company’s latest results. TD Cowen price target article
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp also boosted its HCA price target, reinforcing Wall Street’s constructive view of the hospital operator. KeyCorp price target article
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its target as well, suggesting analysts see further value after HCA’s quarterly earnings beat. Robert W. Baird price target article
• Positive Sentiment: HCA said 102 hospitals received Healthgrades recognition for specialty-care excellence, potentially supporting the company’s reputation, patient demand and competitive positioning. Healthgrades recognition announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA HealthONE agreed to pay $14.5 million for a Wheat Ridge retail center and plans to develop a medical park. The project could expand local capacity, but its financial contribution and execution timeline remain uncertain. Wheat Ridge medical park article
• Neutral Sentiment: A St. David’s HealthCare CEO plans to retire in March, creating a leadership transition within an HCA-affiliated system. St. David’s CEO retirement article
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of HCA investors. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but adds legal and headline risk that can pressure the stock. Pomerantz investor investigation announcement

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency care facilities, physician practices and other healthcare sites. Its facilities provide a broad range of services, including acute and emergency care, surgery, cardiology, oncology, women’s and children’s services, behavioral health and outpatient care.

The company serves patients primarily across the United States through a network of healthcare facilities in numerous states.