HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $422.25 and traded as high as $434.46. HCA Healthcare shares last traded at $423.3140, with a volume of 1,098,930 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HCA. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $495.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $463.70.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.9%

The company has a market cap of $92.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day moving average is $417.13 and its 200 day moving average is $422.29.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th were given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth $28,000. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a provider of healthcare services in the United States. Through its network of hospitals and other healthcare facilities, the company delivers services including emergency and urgent care, surgery, inpatient and outpatient treatment, women’s and children’s care, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, and behavioral health services.

HCA Healthcare also operates physician practices, ambulatory surgery centers, freestanding emergency rooms, diagnostic facilities, and other outpatient care sites.