BMO Capital Markets Begins Coverage on HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA)

Equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm set an “outperform” rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Leerink Partners reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $492.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $490.00 to $425.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $463.70.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE HCA traded down $12.64 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $423.84. 1,027,080 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,492,834. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $353.99 and a 12 month high of $556.52. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $410.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $426.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.76 billion, a PE ratio of 14.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth approximately $5,069,974,000. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,999,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,334,040,000 after buying an additional 40,086 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,835,397,000 after acquiring an additional 799,761 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $1,702,738,000 after purchasing an additional 13,565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,262,513,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:HCA) is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Its network provides a broad range of medical services, including emergency care, inpatient and outpatient treatment, surgery, diagnostic services, and maternity care.

The company also operates ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care facilities, physician practices, and other outpatient locations. HCA Healthcare serves patients through facilities located across the United States, as well as through HCA Healthcare UK, its healthcare operations in the United Kingdom.

HCA Healthcare was founded in 1968 by Dr.