Federated Hermes Inc. Sells 5,227 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Federated Hermes Inc. lessened its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 16.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,209 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,227 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $9,402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 888.9% in the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 344.0% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 75.8% during the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 99.0% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $356.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The firm has a market cap of $85.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.39. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $370.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $347.42.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 7,363.11% and a net margin of 8.21%. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total transaction of $5,797,585.36. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised HCA Healthcare from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $320.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $401.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Baird R W downgraded HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.46.

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.