HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Acquired by Consulta Ltd

Consulta Ltd grew its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 100.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 550,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 275,000 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare makes up about 10.8% of Consulta Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Consulta Ltd owned approximately 0.22% of HCA Healthcare worth $165,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 11,655,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,498,417,000 after buying an additional 116,826 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,503,849 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,351,830,000 after purchasing an additional 23,177 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,871,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,159,882,000 after purchasing an additional 50,321 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,928,452 shares of the company's stock worth $878,975,000 after buying an additional 19,121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $840,286,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % 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 company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE HCA traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $353.85. 979,511 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,405,867. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $335.93 and a 200 day moving average of $328.30. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $289.98 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The stock has a market cap of $85.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.46.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. The firm had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.36 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim initiated coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 price target (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $381.13.

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.