HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $463.70.

HCA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $492.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, September 18th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $490.00 to $425.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA stock opened at $435.18 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $411.80 and its 200 day moving average is $426.09. The firm has a market cap of $94.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $353.99 and a one year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.84 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is presently 10.45%.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Andra AP fonden grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 12.3% during the 2nd 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 period. Archford Capital Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.5% during the second 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

About HCA Healthcare

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.