Hancock Whitney Corp Buys 1,019 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 24.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,130 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,019 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 99.0% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 191 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 price objective (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim started coverage on HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $381.13.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA traded down $1.27 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $343.81. The company had a trading volume of 419,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,393,932. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $331.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $331.49. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $289.98 and a one year high of $417.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.65 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $0.70. The firm 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 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. The business's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.36 earnings per share. Analysts forecast 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 Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is presently 12.81%.

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.