HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Given New $404.00 Price Target at Royal Bank Of Canada

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada from $376.00 to $404.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price target would indicate a potential upside of 7.02% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on HCA. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 target price (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Baird R W lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Stephens raised HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $394.33.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Monday, reaching $377.51. 208,915 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,465,255. The company has a 50-day moving average of $362.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $334.94. The company has a market capitalization of $90.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.49. HCA Healthcare has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.36 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,077 shares of the company's stock worth $2,791,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.3% in the first quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 1,451 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the company's stock worth $1,097,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 1,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,787 shares of the company's stock worth $3,838,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

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.

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