AJOVista LLC Takes Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $25,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:HCA traded down $1.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $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 1 year low of $215.96 and a 1 year high of $335.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $322.22 and a 200-day moving average of $297.73.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.01 by $0.35. The firm 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.93 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.74 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $6.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 344 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.97, for a total value of $110,757.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $789,470.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total value of $1,305,067.02. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,138,652.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 344 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,452 shares in the company, valued at $789,470.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,218,364. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on HCA shares. StockNews.com raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $359.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.