HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock Sold by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 97.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 681 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,723 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $291,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $5,069,974,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth about $410,992,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $371,138,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,835,397,000 after acquiring an additional 799,761 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $238,457,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $460.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $435.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $475.70.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 1.1%

HCA stock opened at $472.94 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $437.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $444.90. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $353.99 and a 12 month high of $556.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.65 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.33 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.96 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.45%.

HCA Healthcare News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its HCA price target from $496 to $521 and reaffirmed an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 10% upside from the referenced trading level. Royal Bank of Canada analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen increased its price target for HCA Healthcare, adding to the series of favorable analyst revisions following the company’s latest results. TD Cowen price target article
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp also boosted its HCA price target, reinforcing Wall Street’s constructive view of the hospital operator. KeyCorp price target article
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its target as well, suggesting analysts see further value after HCA’s quarterly earnings beat. Robert W. Baird price target article
• Positive Sentiment: HCA said 102 hospitals received Healthgrades recognition for specialty-care excellence, potentially supporting the company’s reputation, patient demand and competitive positioning. Healthgrades recognition announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA HealthONE agreed to pay $14.5 million for a Wheat Ridge retail center and plans to develop a medical park. The project could expand local capacity, but its financial contribution and execution timeline remain uncertain. Wheat Ridge medical park article
• Neutral Sentiment: A St. David’s HealthCare CEO plans to retire in March, creating a leadership transition within an HCA-affiliated system. St. David’s CEO retirement article
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of HCA investors. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but adds legal and headline risk that can pressure the stock. Pomerantz investor investigation announcement

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency care facilities, physician practices and other healthcare sites. Its facilities provide a broad range of services, including acute and emergency care, surgery, cardiology, oncology, women’s and children’s services, behavioral health and outpatient care.

The company serves patients primarily across the United States through a network of healthcare facilities in numerous states.