Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 1,724 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 109.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,293 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,724 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 1,039 shares of the company's stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,787 shares of the company's stock worth $3,838,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,195 shares of the company's stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,471 shares of the company's stock worth $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $943,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on HCA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised HCA Healthcare from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $320.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays set a $416.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Stephens raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $392.47.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 2.9%

HCA Healthcare stock traded down $11.16 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $373.18. 2,014,591 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,445,117. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14. The firm's 50 day moving average is $355.28 and its 200-day moving average is $331.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.99, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.49.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. The firm had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.36 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total value of $5,797,585.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. The trade was a 55.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.