HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Shares Down 3.6% - Should You Sell?

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 3.6% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $350.74 and last traded at $357.00. Approximately 811,517 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 1,450,312 shares. The stock had previously closed at $370.46.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. Wall Street Zen raised HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Stephens raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of HCA Healthcare from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $320.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Guggenheim began coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $392.47.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm's 50-day moving average is $358.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $333.23. The company has a market cap of $88.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.78, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.49.

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

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 12,646 shares in the company, valued at $4,670,420.72. The trade was a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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