IFP Advisors Inc Buys 1,777 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 23.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,444 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,777 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.6% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,086,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 10,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,003,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.9 %

HCA opened at $319.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $79.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The company’s 50 day moving average is $313.72 and its 200-day moving average is $350.53. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $289.98 and a 1-year high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.90 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.