Pacer Advisors Inc. Decreases Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 5.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 718,269 shares of the company’s stock after selling 43,208 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $339,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 56.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,328,000 after acquiring an additional 49,214 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $403.44 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $387.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $450.99. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $353.13 and a 52 week high of $556.52. The company has a market cap of $87.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The business had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.45 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered HCA Healthcare from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Fourteen equities research 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $465.05.

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.