The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Acquires New Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 80,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,308,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $1,179,000. Ally Financial Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,339,000. Cibc World Market Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $14,605,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth $4,832,000. Finally, Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,794,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $419.19 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $400.24 and its 200 day moving average is $441.63. The stock has a market cap of $90.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $353.99 and a 1 year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.84 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Argus lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare 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.