HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by iA Global Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management Inc. has reduced its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. by 29.2%, selling 4,364 shares, and now holds 10,560 shares worth approximately $3.65 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Sanders Capital LLC and GAMMA Investing LLC, have increased their holdings, with GAMMA investing significantly by 40,527.3%.
• HCA Healthcare recently reported an earnings per share of $6.84, surpassing estimates, with analysts predicting a total of 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 29.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,560 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,364 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $3,649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 40.8% in the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Family Wealth Inc. grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Family Wealth Inc. now owns 931 shares of the company's stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 6.3% during the first quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 20,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 12.3% in the first quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 3,904 shares of the company's stock worth $1,349,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz SE grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 59.4% during the 1st quarter. Allianz SE now owns 5,389 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HCA shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded HCA Healthcare from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $320.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Baird R W cut HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Bank of America lowered HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $394.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $395.69.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 2.3%

HCA Healthcare stock traded up $8.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $381.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,015,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,587,259. The stock has a market cap of $89.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a 50 day moving average of $369.73 and a 200-day moving average of $348.72.

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

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.