Comerica Bank Decreases Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Comerica Bank decreased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 35,856 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,107 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $10,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 571,975 shares of the company's stock worth $232,467,000 after buying an additional 104,409 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $688,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 11.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,669,721 shares of the company's stock worth $660,842,000 after buying an additional 174,946 shares in the last quarter. NRI Wealth Management LC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,896,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $85,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

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

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock traded up $4.88 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $361.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,678,468 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,403,305. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $289.98 and a one year high of $417.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $333.12 and a 200 day moving average of $329.41. The firm has a market cap of $86.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. The company had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.26 billion. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. HCA Healthcare's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.36 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 target price (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $381.13.

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.