Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Grows Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 80.7%, acquiring an additional 11,338 shares, bringing its total holdings to 25,385 shares valued at approximately $8.77 million.
• Institutional investors now own 62.73% of HCA Healthcare's stock, with several hedge funds, including Boston Partners and National Pension Service, significantly increasing their shares in the company during the first quarter.
• HCA Healthcare recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of $6.84, exceeding estimates, alongside a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, signaling strong performance amid an average price target of $398.58 set by analysts.

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 80.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,385 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,338 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $8,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth $26,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth $28,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 888.9% during the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 344.0% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its stake 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 period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.8%

HCA Healthcare stock traded up $7.4080 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $410.0980. 802,131 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,568,313. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $371.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $352.54. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $417.14. The firm has a market cap of $95.96 billion, a PE ratio of 17.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.20 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 last year, the business posted $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America downgraded HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $394.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $398.58.

HCA Healthcare 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.