Westpac Banking Corp Acquires 1,302 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Westpac Banking Corp increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,706 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,302 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $7,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of HCA opened at $347.48 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $417.14. The firm has a market cap of $85.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.82, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $326.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $340.30.

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. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. KeyCorp lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays cut 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. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the company’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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare 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.