HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $500.00

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price hoisted by Stephens from $450.00 to $500.00 in a report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $404.00 to $401.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $460.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $473.53.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE HCA opened at $468.21 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $418.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $385.09. The stock has a market cap of $109.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.10, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.40. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $475.38.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The firm had revenue of $19.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.13%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,194,716.52. This trade represents a 10.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HCA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,152,408,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $569,217,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 6,237.9% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,350,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,815,000 after buying an additional 1,329,618 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 83.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,399,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $829,104,000 after buying an additional 1,091,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after buying an additional 690,773 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.