Columbia Bank Grows Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Columbia Bank lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 4.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,602 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare comprises about 0.9% of Columbia Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Columbia Bank’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,871,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $27,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on HCA shares. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Stephens increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $474.53.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $501.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $442.94 and a 200-day moving average of $402.39. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $512.66.

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

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. 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 payout ratio is 11.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. This represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare 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.