Pacer Advisors Inc. Buys 896,437 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 6,115.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 911,096 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 896,437 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up 1.0% of Pacer Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $388,309,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth $1,152,408,000. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 927,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,404,000 after purchasing an additional 59,163 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 868,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,856,000 after buying an additional 3,396 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.9% in the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 676,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,062,000 after acquiring an additional 12,515 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Stephens lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $482.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, October 27th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $479.00.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.0%

HCA stock opened at $474.06 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $474.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $419.32. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $520.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The firm had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.13%.

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.