18,625 Shares in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Bought by Kessler Investment Group LLC

Kessler Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 18,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,436,000. HCA Healthcare accounts for approximately 3.1% of Kessler Investment Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $1,021,000. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,354 shares of the company's stock worth $1,307,000 after purchasing an additional 972 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 714 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 78,900 shares of the company's stock worth $23,682,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total transaction of $5,797,585.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays set a $416.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $336.00 target price (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised HCA Healthcare from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $320.00 to $385.00 in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $410.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $395.71.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.4%

HCA traded up $1.34 on Friday, reaching $379.00. 1,554,834 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,468,120. The company's 50 day moving average is $366.55 and its 200-day moving average is $336.91. The company has a market cap of $91.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.49. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.19.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $0.70. The firm had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.26 billion. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 1,063.91% and a net margin of 8.07%. HCA Healthcare's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.36 EPS. Equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.81%.

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.