Blueshift Asset Management LLC Sells 1,665 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Key Points

• Blueshift Asset Management LLC sold 1,665 shares of HCA Healthcare, reducing its stake by 65.7%, leaving the firm with 871 shares valued at approximately $301,000.
• HCA Healthcare reported earnings per share of $6.84 for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 6.4% to $18.61 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for September 16th, representing an annualized yield of 0.8%.

Blueshift Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 65.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 871 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,665 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 888.9% in the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 344.0% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 75.8% in the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 99.0% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 191 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $356.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $370.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $347.42. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $417.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.39.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.11%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total value of $5,797,585.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,646 shares in the company, valued at $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded HCA Healthcare from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $320.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Baird R W downgraded HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen raised HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $396.46.

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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