Palisade Capital Management LP Takes $6.46 Million Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Palisade Capital Management LP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 16,582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,465,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,069,974,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,262,513,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $410,992,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $374,037,000. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Truist Financial lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $495.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:HCA opened at $428.90 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $398.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $442.83. The company has a market cap of $92.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $353.99 and a 12 month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.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 company posted $6.84 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.45%.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.