Park Avenue Securities LLC Boosts Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 5.9%, holding 15,088 shares worth approximately $5.78 million after acquiring an additional 841 shares in the second quarter.
• HCA Healthcare reported $6.84 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates of $6.20, with revenue of $18.61 billion, an increase of 6.4% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, with an ex-dividend date of September 16, reflecting a 0.7% dividend yield.

Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 5.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,088 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 841 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $5,780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 888.9% in the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $407.81 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $420.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $385.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $366.94. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 7,363.11% and a net margin of 8.21%.The business had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is 12.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $385.00 to $375.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen raised HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Stephens raised HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $407.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

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

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.

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