HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Stock Position Lifted by Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC

Key Points

• Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC has increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. by 29.9%, making it their 8th largest position with a total worth of approximately $26.99 million.
• HCA Healthcare reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $6.84, surpassing analysts' consensus estimate of $6.20, alongside a revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.86%, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 12.11%.

Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 29.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,107 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,992 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare comprises approximately 2.4% of Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $26,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $1,021,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 36.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 31,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,593,000 after buying an additional 8,623 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 61,581 shares of the company's stock worth $18,484,000 after purchasing an additional 10,777 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 1,039 shares of the company's stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $270,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HCA. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded HCA Healthcare from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $320.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $401.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $336.00 target price (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $394.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $396.46.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA traded up $0.33 during trading on Thursday, hitting $355.39. 525,111 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,604,494. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $85.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.94, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.47. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $371.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.46.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 7,363.11% and a net margin of 8.21%. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,646 shares in the company, valued at $4,670,420.72. This trade represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.