AXQ Capital LP Takes Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• AXQ Capital LP acquired 7,414 HCA Healthcare shares worth approximately $2.9 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 62.73% of HCA’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive but cautious: HCA has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from 23 analysts, with an average price target of $462.64, despite recent target-price cuts from Barclays and JPMorgan.
• HCA reported quarterly revenue of $20.23 billion, up 8.7% year over year, and earnings of $7.59 per share, narrowly beating estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, representing a 0.8% yield.

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,414 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,891,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HCA. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% in 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 last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded HCA Healthcare from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $490.00 to $425.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $435.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $409.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $88.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $353.99 and a 52 week high of $556.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $403.09 and a 200 day moving average of $437.77.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.84 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

About HCA Healthcare

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source