Prudential PLC Sells 3,965 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Prudential PLC reduced its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 49.8%, ending the first quarter with 3,991 shares valued at approximately $1.38 million.
• HCA Healthcare reported quarterly earnings of $6.84 per share, exceeding expectations, and achieved a revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, up 6.4% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, representing a dividend yield of 0.7%, set to be paid on September 30th.

Prudential PLC lessened its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 49.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,991 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,965 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth $26,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 888.9% during the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 344.0% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 75.8% during the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA traded down $1.80 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $393.99. 629,488 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,571,214. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $370.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $351.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.98. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $289.98 and a 1-year high of $417.14. The company has a market cap of $92.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.39.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.49 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 7,363.11% and a net margin of 8.21%. HCA Healthcare's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America lowered HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $394.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Stephens raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $385.00 to $375.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $404.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $398.58.

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.