Aviva PLC Acquires 18,478 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Aviva PLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 177,188 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,478 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.08% of HCA Healthcare worth $67,881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $425.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $465.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $473.53.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.1%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $476.33 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $108.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $427.73 and its 200 day moving average is $391.81. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $478.88.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $19.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.90 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total transaction of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. The trade was a 10.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.