Argent Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Argent Capital Management reduced its HCA Healthcare stake by 3.6% in the first quarter, selling 8,110 shares and retaining 215,781 shares worth approximately $102.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of HCA.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $465.05 target price, although several firms recently lowered their targets.
• HCA exceeded quarterly expectations with $7.59 in EPS and $20.23 billion in revenue, up 8.7% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, representing a 0.8% yield.

Argent Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 3.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 215,781 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,110 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare comprises approximately 3.2% of Argent Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC owned 0.10% of HCA Healthcare worth $102,116,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company's stock worth $1,334,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 56.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company's stock worth $52,328,000 after purchasing an additional 49,214 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on HCA. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. 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 report on Monday, July 27th. Mizuho lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $369.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 20th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $465.05.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.9%

HCA stock opened at $403.44 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $387.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $451.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.12. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $353.13 and a 12 month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.84 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.45%.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company's core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA's services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.

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