HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stock Position Reduced by Intrust Bank NA

Intrust Bank NA cut its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 60,430 shares of the company’s stock after selling 130 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up about 1.9% of Intrust Bank NA’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $16,357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. abrdn plc grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 4.8% in the third quarter. abrdn plc now owns 164,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,444,000 after acquiring an additional 7,476 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $10,085,000. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 60,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,425,000 after buying an additional 7,476 shares during the period. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $1,100,000. Finally, Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 623.3% during the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 43,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,701,000 after buying an additional 37,488 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded up $3.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $310.53. 869,687 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,104,417. The company has a market cap of $82.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $323.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.45. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.96 and a fifty-two week high of $335.83.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.01 by $0.35. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.20% and a return on equity of 674.49%. The firm had revenue of $17.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.93 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

HCA Healthcare announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $356.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $313.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total value of $1,305,067.02. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,138,652.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 652 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.04, for a total value of $203,450.08. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,491.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total transaction of $1,305,067.02. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 10,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,138,652.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,840 shares of company stock valued at $4,588,869. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

HCA Healthcare Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.