Empowered Funds LLC Buys New Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 24,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,426,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,069,974,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,566,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,532,563,000 after purchasing an additional 76,039 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,999,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,334,040,000 after purchasing an additional 40,086 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,663,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,702,738,000 after buying an additional 13,565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $1,262,513,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.4%

HCA stock opened at $417.57 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $90.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.98, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day moving average is $401.08 and its 200 day moving average is $441.46. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $353.99 and a 12-month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.84 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Argus decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Fourteen 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $462.64.

About HCA Healthcare

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.