HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy”: Of 23 brokerages, 14 recommend buying HCA Healthcare, eight rate it a hold and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is approximately $465.05.
• Recent results exceeded expectations: HCA reported quarterly EPS of $7.59 versus a $7.56 consensus estimate and revenue of $20.23 billion versus $19.76 billion expected, with revenue rising 8.7% year over year.
• Shareholders will receive a quarterly dividend: HCA declared a $0.78-per-share dividend payable September 30, equivalent to $3.12 annually and a 0.8% yield.

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and fourteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $465.0455.

HCA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA opened at $403.44 on Monday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $387.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $450.99. The company has a market cap of $87.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $353.13 and a one year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.84 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 29.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,334,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 56.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company's stock worth $52,328,000 after purchasing an additional 49,214 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company's core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA's services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.

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