Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 8.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,416 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the quarter. Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $3,254,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,021,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 37.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 872 shares of the company's stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 18,214 shares of the company's stock worth $5,467,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 81.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,863 shares of the company's stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,149,043 shares of the company's stock worth $344,885,000 after buying an additional 6,590 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA stock traded down $5.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $372.84. 943,125 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,461,363. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $370.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $338.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.47.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 1,063.91%. The business had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.36 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.81%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total value of $5,797,585.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. This trade represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HCA shares. Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 price objective (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Baird R W cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $404.00 price target (up previously from $376.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays set a $416.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $395.71.

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.