Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Boosts Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 191.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,412 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,897 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE HCA opened at $417.57 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $401.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $441.46. The stock has a market cap of $90.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $353.99 and a 12 month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.84 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on HCA. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare Profile

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.