Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Purchases Shares of 7,000 HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired 7,000 shares of HCA Healthcare, valued at approximately $2.4 million, during the first quarter of the year.
• HCA Healthcare's stock received mixed analyst ratings, with Wolfe Research downgrading it to "peer perform" while Stephens upgraded it to a "strong-buy." The average target price is currently set at $401.83.
• HCA Healthcare announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, with a scheduled payout on September 30th, representing an annual yield of 0.7% and a low payout ratio of 12.11%.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,419,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional 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 valued at $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 888.9% during 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $385.00 to $375.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $403.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were 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 represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of HCA stock traded up $2.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $405.54. 761,184 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,364. The business's fifty day moving average is $382.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $362.77. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $420.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.41.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.50 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company 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. 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 presently 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.