Candriam S.C.A. Cuts Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in HCA Healthcare by 4.9%, holding 156,571 shares valued at approximately $54.1 million after selling 8,034 shares.
• HCA saw a mixed reaction from analysts, with Bank of America lowering its rating to "neutral" while others, like Robert W. Baird, raised their price target to $423.00 and maintained a "neutral" rating.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $6.84, surpassing expectations, and announced a dividend of $0.72 per share for payment on September 30th.

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 156,571 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,034 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.07% of HCA Healthcare worth $54,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,077 shares of the company's stock worth $2,791,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the company's stock worth $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 4.3% during the first quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 872 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. RWA Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 2.0% during the first quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,904 shares of the company's stock worth $658,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.8% in the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 858 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE HCA traded up $0.61 during trading on Friday, reaching $404.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,081,188 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,431,386. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.74 billion, a PE ratio of 17.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $373.91 and a 200 day moving average of $354.02. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $289.98 and a one year high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.20 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.49 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 7,363.11% and a net margin of 8.21%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. Analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HCA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Stephens raised HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wolfe Research lowered HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $404.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $398.58.

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.