HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock Holdings Increased by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,446 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare makes up about 0.9% of Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $10,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 171.7% in the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,954,000 after acquiring an additional 3,945 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 27.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 467,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,380,000 after purchasing an additional 100,764 shares during the last quarter. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth approximately $75,534,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 46.7% during the second quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $428,879,000 after purchasing an additional 350,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fund 1 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $975,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, COO Jon Foster sold 21,713 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $494.95, for a total value of $10,746,849.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,949,500. This represents a 68.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael J. Schlosser sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.65, for a total transaction of $593,580.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $713,779.95. This represents a 45.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 32,913 shares of company stock worth $16,481,129. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Leerink Partners restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $492.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $381.00 to $468.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $496.00 to $521.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $480.13.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $504.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $105.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.11. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $353.99 and a one year high of $556.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $445.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $445.45.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. The firm had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.15 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 10.34%.

HCA Healthcare Profile

HCA Healthcare is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other care facilities. Its services include inpatient and outpatient care, emergency treatment, surgery, diagnostic services and specialized care across areas such as cancer and cardiovascular medicine.

The company serves patients in the United States and the United Kingdom through its network of hospitals and outpatient facilities, including surgery centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices.

Founded in 1968, HCA Healthcare is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.