Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd reduced its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 349 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up approximately 1.3% of Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $6,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,503,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,351,830,000 after purchasing an additional 23,177 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,871,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,159,882,000 after acquiring an additional 50,321 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $840,286,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 11.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,669,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $660,842,000 after purchasing an additional 174,946 shares during the period. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 62.0% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,500,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $450,461,000 after buying an additional 574,239 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.1 %

HCA stock opened at $345.86 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $325.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $340.25. The company has a market cap of $85.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 prior year, the firm posted $5.90 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. One equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.67.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.