First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Buys 2,738 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its HCA Healthcare stake by 224.6% in the third quarter, purchasing 2,738 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 3,957 shares valued at approximately $1.69 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of HCA Healthcare, with several other firms also raising their positions during the quarter.
• HCA reported quarterly revenue of $20.23 billion and earnings of $7.59 per share, exceeding analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with a target price of $467.61, while the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 224.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,957 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,689,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 24.3% in the third quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 7,635 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,258,000 after buying an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company's stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Ulrich Consultants & Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth $2,054,000. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 8.5% during the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the company's stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Terra Nova Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.0% during the third quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC now owns 3,019 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,595 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA opened at $468.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $101.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $425.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $418.99. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $353.99 and a twelve month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 posted $6.84 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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 research report on Monday, July 27th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $495.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $467.61.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a provider of healthcare services in the United States. Through its network of hospitals and other healthcare facilities, the company delivers services including emergency and urgent care, surgery, inpatient and outpatient treatment, women's and children's care, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, and behavioral health services.

HCA Healthcare also operates physician practices, ambulatory surgery centers, freestanding emergency rooms, diagnostic facilities, and other outpatient care sites.

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