HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $476.61, but opened at $455.02. HCA Healthcare shares last traded at $455.3840, with a volume of 370,506 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $473.53.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 4.5%

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $427.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $392.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.41.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $1.32. The firm had revenue of $19.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.55 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 792.25% and a net margin of 8.53%.The company’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.90 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. Research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total transaction of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. The trade was a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Sovran Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% during the third quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 17.1% during the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.