Simplicity Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 1,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $699,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $405.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.58, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $353.99 and a 52 week high of $556.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $394.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $445.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.47 EPS 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 dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HCA. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $465.59.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.