HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• Bell Asset Management cut its HCA Healthcare stake by 32.3% in the third quarter, selling 3,112 shares and retaining 6,526 shares valued at approximately $2.785 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.73% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with 15 Buy, eight Hold, and one Sell rating, resulting in a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $466.35.
• HCA reported quarterly revenue of $20.23 billion and earnings of $7.59 per share, exceeding estimates, while revenue increased 8.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, representing a 0.7% yield.

Bell Asset Management Ltd reduced its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,526 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,112 shares during the period. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,881 shares of the company's stock worth $2,083,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 184.0% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 230 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $238,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 5.6% in the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 963 shares of the company's stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 30.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 775 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $475.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Leerink Partners reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $492.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, September 18th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $466.35.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $443.95 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $353.99 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The company has a 50-day moving average of $419.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $419.76. The company has a market cap of $96.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.84 EPS. HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

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

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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