HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by CenterBook Partners LP

Key Points

• CenterBook Partners LP reduced its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 50.7%, now owning 3,220 shares valued at approximately $1.11 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• HCA Healthcare reported $6.84 earnings per share in its latest quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $6.20, alongside a 6.4% year-on-year revenue growth.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, with the ex-dividend date set for September 16th, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.8%.

CenterBook Partners LP reduced its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 50.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,220 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,318 shares during the quarter. CenterBook Partners LP's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,113,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 7,899 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,729,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at $340,000. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at about $5,675,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 117.4% in the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 64,990 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,457,000 after purchasing an additional 35,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXS Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. AXS Investments LLC now owns 4,869 shares of the company's stock worth $1,682,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.9%

HCA stock opened at $373.14 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $369.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $348.72. The company has a market cap of $87.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.39.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is 12.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. Stephens upgraded HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Baird R W downgraded HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report 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 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $395.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total transaction of $5,797,585.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.

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