Plato Investment Management Ltd Sells 1,144 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Plato Investment Management Ltd has decreased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 22.8%, selling 1,144 shares and now owning 3,884 shares valued at approximately $1,357,000.
• Wall Street analysts have shown optimism, upgrading HCA from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, with a consensus target price of $403.17 for the stock.
• HCA announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.7%, scheduled for payment on September 30th.

Plato Investment Management Ltd lowered its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 22.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,884 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,144 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on HCA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $444.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Barclays dropped their target price 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. Wolfe Research cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $404.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $403.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the firm's 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 directly owned 31,503 shares in the company, valued at $13,194,716.52. This trade represents a 10.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 4.7%

Shares of HCA opened at $394.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.41. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $420.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business's fifty day moving average price is $381.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $361.70.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.20 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.49 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 7,363.11% and a net margin of 8.21%.The company's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.50 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 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 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 12.11%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.