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

Key Points

• Argent Capital Management LLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. by 1.2% in the second quarter, now owning approximately $88.27 million worth of stock, making it the 12th largest position in their portfolio.
• HCA Healthcare recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $6.84, surpassing analysts' expectations by $0.64, alongside a revenue of $18.61 billion for the same quarter.
• The company also announced a $0.72 quarterly dividend scheduled to be paid to investors on September 30th, indicating a dividend yield of 0.7%.

Argent Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 230,421 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,841 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up about 2.5% of Argent Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Argent Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.10% of HCA Healthcare worth $88,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,077 shares of the company's stock worth $2,791,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust co grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 1,451 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the 2nd 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 period. Finally, Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 872 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. This represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $407.81 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $420.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $385.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $366.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on HCA. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $407.75.

About HCA Healthcare

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.

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