HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up before the market opened on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $341.41, but opened at $350.25. HCA Healthcare shares last traded at $340.98, with a volume of 325,699 shares trading hands.

The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. The firm had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.36 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $405.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Baird R W cut HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $381.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 22.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 571,975 shares of the company's stock worth $232,467,000 after buying an additional 104,409 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth $688,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 11.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,669,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $660,842,000 after buying an additional 174,946 shares in the last quarter. American Trust bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $372,000. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,278,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $330.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $331.39. The stock has a market cap of $84.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48.

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.