Essex Savings Bank Trims Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Essex Savings Bank trimmed its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 16.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 791 shares of the company’s stock after selling 159 shares during the quarter. Essex Savings Bank’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Raymond James cut HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.27.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $309.26 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $276.50 and a 12-month high of $417.14. The company has a market cap of $78.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $318.49 and a 200-day moving average of $353.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.85%.

About HCA Healthcare

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.