Utah Retirement Systems Cuts Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Utah Retirement Systems lowered its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,686 shares of the company’s stock after selling 600 shares during the quarter. Utah Retirement Systems’ holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $9,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Perbak Capital Partners LLP increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. Perbak Capital Partners LLP now owns 3,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,017,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,694,000 after acquiring an additional 223,248 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 9,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,771,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth about $879,000. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $786,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $345.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $417.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $331.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $331.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. The business had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.36 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $405.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $336.00 price objective (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Guggenheim started coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $381.13.

About HCA Healthcare

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.