NFJ Investment Group LLC Acquires Shares of 112,923 HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group LLC recently acquired 112,923 shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. for approximately $39 million, making it the firm's 20th largest investment.
• HCA Healthcare reported strong quarterly earnings of $6.84 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $6.20, with revenue also surpassing forecasts.
• Institutional investors currently hold 62.73% of HCA Healthcare's stock, indicating significant interest in the company from large investment entities.

NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 112,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,035,000. HCA Healthcare accounts for about 1.3% of NFJ Investment Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,021,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 65.3% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 438,680 shares of the company's stock worth $131,668,000 after purchasing an additional 173,330 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 29,278 shares of the company's stock worth $8,788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $187,000. Finally, BOKF NA increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 5,401 shares of the company's stock worth $1,636,000 after purchasing an additional 1,232 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $416.00 to $390.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $444.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $401.83.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of HCA traded up $9.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $420.68. 1,059,770 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,056,520. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.41. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $420.98. The business has a 50-day moving average of $380.14 and a 200-day moving average of $360.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.49 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.50 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

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

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.