HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Upgraded by BMO Capital Markets to Strong-Buy Rating

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Zacks reports.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on HCA. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Mizuho lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $369.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $463.70.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:HCA opened at $436.71 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $409.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $426.80. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $353.99 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The stock has a market cap of $94.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.84 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 10.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.7% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 21.1% in the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 56,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,960,000 after buying an additional 9,800 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 12.3% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 69,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,976,000 after acquiring an additional 7,570 shares during the last quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 8.0% in the second quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC now owns 2,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 591,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,650,000 after purchasing an additional 2,820 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:HCA) is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Its network provides a broad range of medical services, including emergency care, inpatient and outpatient treatment, surgery, diagnostic services, and maternity care.

The company also operates ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care facilities, physician practices, and other outpatient locations. HCA Healthcare serves patients through facilities located across the United States, as well as through HCA Healthcare UK, its healthcare operations in the United Kingdom.

HCA Healthcare was founded in 1968 by Dr.