Westpac Banking Corp Makes New Investment in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Westpac Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 11,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,648,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at $33,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 5.6%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $429.08 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $92.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $353.99 and a twelve month high of $556.52. The business has a fifty day moving average of $397.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $444.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.47 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 27th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.