AQR Capital Management LLC Acquires 84,260 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 54.3%, acquiring an additional 84,260 shares, bringing its total holdings to 239,532 shares worth approximately $82.4 million.
• HCA Healthcare reported $6.84 EPS for the recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue reaching $18.61 billion, marking a 6.4% year-over-year increase.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, set to be paid on September 30th, with a 0.7% yield based on the annualized amount.

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 54.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 239,532 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 84,260 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.10% of HCA Healthcare worth $82,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 888.9% during the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 31,503 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,194,716.52. This represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $444.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $403.17.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 4.7%

HCA stock traded down $19.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $393.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,566,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,535,099. The company has a market cap of $92.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.41. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $420.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The business's 50 day moving average price is $381.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $361.47.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. The company had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. 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 is presently 12.11%.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.