HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock Sold by Cooke & Bieler LP

Key Points

• Cooke & Bieler LP cut its HCA Healthcare position by 45% in the third quarter, selling 43,346 shares and retaining 52,882 shares valued at approximately $22.6 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 62.73% of HCA.
• HCA reported quarterly revenue of $20.23 billion, up 8.7% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.59 per share, narrowly exceeding analysts’ expectations. Analysts forecast approximately $29.45 in full-year EPS.
• HCA shares opened at $459.14, while analyst sentiment remains a “Moderate Buy” with a consensus price target of $467.61; however, recent target reductions and concerns about upcoming earnings point to limited near-term upside and added caution.

Cooke & Bieler LP reduced its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 45.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,882 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,346 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $22,567,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anchyra Partners LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.7% during the first quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 587 shares of the company's stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.3% in the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 806 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 994 shares of the company's stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,469 shares of the company's stock worth $2,334,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 3,572 shares of the company's stock worth $1,524,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 1.4%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $459.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $429.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $418.65. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $353.99 and a 1-year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 EPS 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 company had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.84 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.45 EPS for the current year.

More HCA Healthcare News

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $460 while maintaining its view on HCA, signaling continued confidence in the hospital operator’s outlook. However, the revised target implies limited near-term upside at current levels. TD Cowen raises HCA Healthcare price target
• Positive Sentiment: HCA opened a new $22 million freestanding emergency department in Florida, expanding its care network and potentially supporting long-term admissions and revenue growth. The financial impact is likely to be gradual. HCA opens new Florida freestanding emergency department
• Neutral Sentiment: The CEO of HCA Florida Capital Hospital, Dale Neely, is stepping down. The departure creates some management uncertainty, although no operational disruption or broader leadership change was reported. HCA Florida hospital CEO to exit
• Negative Sentiment: HCA is disputing North Carolina’s authority to enforce provisions of its 2019 Mission Health acquisition agreement. The legal dispute could increase regulatory scrutiny and create potential compliance costs, penalties or restrictions involving the Mission system. HCA disputes state authority over Mission deal
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of HCA investors. Although such law-firm announcements do not establish wrongdoing, they add headline and litigation risk and may weigh on sentiment. Pomerantz investor investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect a decline in HCA’s upcoming earnings, and Zacks said the company lacks the typical factors supporting a likely earnings beat. This raises caution ahead of the earnings report and may be the most direct near-term pressure on the stock. HCA earnings expectations

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $490.00 to $425.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $467.61.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency care facilities, physician practices and other healthcare sites. Its facilities provide a broad range of services, including acute and emergency care, surgery, cardiology, oncology, women's and children's services, behavioral health and outpatient care.

The company serves patients primarily across the United States through a network of healthcare facilities in numerous states.

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