Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Invests $3.31 Million in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 8,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,309,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HCA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,069,974,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,262,513,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $374,037,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 4,545.5% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 663,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,686,000 after acquiring an additional 649,058 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:HCA opened at $406.33 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $396.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $444.25. The stock has a market cap of $87.97 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 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.

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

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HCA. Barclays decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Stephens cut their price target on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.