HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI cut its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 0.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 30,105 shares of the company’s stock after selling 126 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $12,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 57.5% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,792,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $931,342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,019,750 shares during the period. Darsana Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,472,000 after buying an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 741,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,110,000 after buying an additional 19,812 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 631,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,002,000 after buying an additional 88,948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 550,654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,802,000 after buying an additional 58,353 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 21.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $395.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.00.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $333.00 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $381.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $358.12. The company has a market cap of $84.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $245.84 and a 52 week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.85%.

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.