Markel Group Inc. Grows Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Markel Group Inc. increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 9.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,213 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,250 shares during the quarter. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $32,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 82.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HCA. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $431.00 to $452.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $488.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $473.08 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $480.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $434.98. The stock has a market cap of $107.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $295.00 and a one year high of $520.00.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $1.32. The firm had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.55 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The business’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About HCA Healthcare

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.