Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 2,630 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Retirement Systems of Alabama cut its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 175,848 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,630 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned approximately 0.07% of HCA Healthcare worth $60,764,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $1,021,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,378 shares of the company's stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 734 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 38.5% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,447 shares of the company's stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,680 shares of the company's stock worth $4,106,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total transaction of $5,797,585.36. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,670,420.72. This trade represents a 55.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $376.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.49. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $417.14. The business's 50-day moving average is $361.42 and its 200 day moving average is $334.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. The company had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.26 billion. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 1,063.91% and a net margin of 8.07%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.36 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 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 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on HCA. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $410.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird restated a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 target price (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Baird R W lowered HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $392.47.

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.

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