Lakewood Capital Management LP Acquires New Shares in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Lakewood Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 38,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,011,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 213.0% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.0%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $429.19 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $353.99 and a 12-month high of $556.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $397.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $443.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.47 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Stephens decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen cut HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $369.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $462.64.

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.