Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Invests $394,000 in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,139 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $394,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HCA. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 120.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 873,775 shares of the company's stock valued at $262,264,000 after buying an additional 476,756 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at $1,021,000. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 5.2% in the first quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 1,049 shares of the company's stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at about $117,984,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 117.5% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 92,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,762,000 after buying an additional 49,968 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $336.00 price objective (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Stephens raised HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $392.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the company'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 transaction of $5,797,585.36. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 12,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA traded up $3.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $372.09. 1,334,129 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,454,977. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $359.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $333.52. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The company has a market cap of $89.51 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.19.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 1,063.91%. The firm had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.36 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

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.