Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Key Points

• Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. has reduced its stake in HCA Healthcare by 43.3%, selling 758 shares and now owning 992 shares valued at $343,000.
• In the latest quarter, HCA reported $6.84 earnings per share, exceeding consensus estimates, and its revenue increased by 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year.
• HCA Healthcare declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.8%, to be paid to investors of record on September 16th.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 43.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 992 shares of the company's stock after selling 758 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $343,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,021,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 36.9% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 31,962 shares of the company's stock worth $9,593,000 after buying an additional 8,623 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,167 shares of the company's stock worth $1,551,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at $553,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 5,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,702,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wolfe Research cut HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $401.00 target price on HCA Healthcare and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Nine equities 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 MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $396.46.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total transaction 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 is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.8%

HCA Healthcare stock traded up $2.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $356.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,369,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,559,973. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The stock has a market cap of $85.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.39. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $289.98 and a one year high of $417.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $370.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $347.42.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $18.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.50 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.11%.

About HCA Healthcare

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.