Aviance Capital Partners LLC Boosts Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 17.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,982 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,885 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $4,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,314 shares of the company's stock worth $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 17.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,931 shares of the company's stock worth $1,704,000 after buying an additional 737 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,021,000. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.2% in the first quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 1,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA traded down $5.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $372.84. 943,125 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,463,446. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.06. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The company's 50 day moving average price is $371.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $339.38.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 1,063.91%. The business had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.36 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Morgan Stanley set a $410.00 target price on HCA Healthcare and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Stephens raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Guggenheim initiated coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $320.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $395.71.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total value of $5,797,585.36. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.