HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $480.13 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate HCA Healthcare a “Moderate Buy” overall: 16 of 24 analysts recommend buying, seven rate it a hold, and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $480.13.
• HCA beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations: It reported EPS of $7.22 versus the $6.65 consensus and revenue of $19.85 billion versus $19.33 billion; revenue increased 3.6% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, equivalent to $3.12 annually and a 0.6% yield.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $480.13.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HCA. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $496.00 to $521.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $393.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $435.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of HCA stock opened at $504.27 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $353.99 and a 12-month high of $556.52. The firm's 50 day moving average is $447.20 and its 200 day moving average is $445.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.11.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 198.52% and a net margin of 8.61%. The business had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.96 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 30.15 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.34%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael Schlosser sold 1,200 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.65, for a total transaction of $593,580.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $713,779.95. The trade was a 45.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Erica Rossitto sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.81, for a total value of $1,770,335.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,426 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,791,005.06. This trade represents a 20.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 36,413 shares of company stock valued at $18,251,464 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 20.3% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,877,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 307.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 13,102 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,591,000 after buying an additional 9,886 shares during the period. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth $261,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.5% during the third quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,110 shares of the company's stock worth $900,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 70.0% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 4,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,912,000 after acquiring an additional 1,756 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other care facilities. Its services include inpatient and outpatient care, emergency treatment, surgery, diagnostic services and specialized care across areas such as cancer and cardiovascular medicine. The company serves patients in the United States and the United Kingdom through its network of hospitals and outpatient facilities, including surgery centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Founded in 1968, HCA Healthcare is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

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