65,181 HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Argent Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Argent Capital Management cut its HCA Healthcare stake by 36.8%, selling 65,181 shares during the third quarter and retaining 112,176 shares worth approximately $47.9 million.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 15 Buy, eight Hold, and one Sell rating; MarketBeat reports a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $463.70.
• HCA reported quarterly revenue of $20.23 billion and earnings of $7.59 per share, exceeding estimates, while declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

Argent Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 36.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 112,176 shares of the company's stock after selling 65,181 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare accounts for about 0.4% of Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of HCA Healthcare worth $47,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HCA. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $463.70.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA traded up $8.95 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $435.64. 318,917 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,346,716. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $353.99 and a one year high of $556.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $417.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $421.56. The company has a market cap of $94.32 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.84 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.45%.

HCA Healthcare Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a provider of healthcare services in the United States. Through its network of hospitals and other healthcare facilities, the company delivers services including emergency and urgent care, surgery, inpatient and outpatient treatment, women's and children's care, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, and behavioral health services.

HCA Healthcare also operates physician practices, ambulatory surgery centers, freestanding emergency rooms, diagnostic facilities, and other outpatient care sites.

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