HighTower Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 10.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,922 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,196 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $17,905,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.8%

HCA stock opened at $401.80 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $353.99 and a 52 week high of $556.52. The company has a market capitalization of $86.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $403.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $434.97.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.84 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on HCA. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:HCA) is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Its network provides a broad range of medical services, including emergency care, inpatient and outpatient treatment, surgery, diagnostic services, and maternity care.

The company also operates ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care facilities, physician practices, and other outpatient locations. HCA Healthcare serves patients through facilities located across the United States, as well as through HCA Healthcare UK, its healthcare operations in the United Kingdom.

HCA Healthcare was founded in 1968 by Dr.