Swedbank AB Sells 17,605 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 6.6%, now owning about 248,293 shares valued at approximately $85.8 million.
• HCA Healthcare reported a 6.4% increase in revenue year-over-year, with quarterly earnings of $6.84 EPS, exceeding estimates by $0.64.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72, yielding 0.7% with a dividend payout ratio of 12.11%.

Swedbank AB cut its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 248,293 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,605 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.10% of HCA Healthcare worth $85,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 55.3% in the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,999 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,849 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,765,000. BOS Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. BOS Asset Management LLC now owns 2,760 shares of the company's stock valued at $954,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,629,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,510 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,213,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA traded up $1.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $400.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 448,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,519,687. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $93.78 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.41. The company's 50-day moving average is $384.23 and its 200-day moving average is $364.54. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $420.98.

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. The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarter last year, the business earned $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total transaction of $1,606,670.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares in the company, valued at $13,194,716.52. This trade represents a 10.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HCA. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $385.00 to $375.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $404.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $444.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $407.75.

HCA Healthcare Profile

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.