HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. reduced its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. by 12.6%, bringing their total holdings to 4,443 shares valued at approximately $1.54 million.
• HCA Healthcare recently reported quarterly earnings of $6.84 EPS, surpassing expectations and reflecting a 6.4% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.7%, with a low dividend payout ratio of 12.11%.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. reduced its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,443 shares of the company's stock after selling 643 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sciencast Management LP acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $2,240,000. Redwood Investments LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Redwood Investments LLC now owns 4,420 shares of the company's stock worth $1,527,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 26,878 shares of the company's stock worth $9,019,000 after purchasing an additional 3,184 shares during the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2,419.1% during the 1st quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 14,359 shares of the company's stock worth $4,962,000 after purchasing an additional 13,789 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 59,668 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,618,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,194,716.52. This represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.7%

HCA stock traded up $2.69 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $405.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 761,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,129,364. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $420.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $382.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $362.77.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on HCA shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Stephens upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $403.17.

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.