HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on HCA Healthcare, with 14 buy, 8 hold and 1 sell rating among 23 analysts. The average 12-month price target is $462.27.
• HCA reported quarterly earnings of $7.59 per share, narrowly exceeding estimates, while revenue of $20.23 billion surpassed expectations and increased 8.7% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.12 dividend and a 0.7% yield; institutional investors own 62.73% of outstanding shares.

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and fourteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $462.2727.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 27th.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.2%

HCA stock opened at $426.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $92.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.29, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $353.99 and a 52-week high of $556.52. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $407.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $428.24.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.HCA Healthcare's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.84 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,069,974,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,262,513,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $410,992,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $371,138,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 20.5% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company's stock worth $1,835,397,000 after purchasing an additional 799,761 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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