HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $385.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $320.00. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective suggests a potential upside of 0.97% from the company's current price.
Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $336.00 price target (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Baird R W cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $385.47.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on HCA
HCA Healthcare Price Performance
Shares of HCA stock traded up $2.64 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $381.29. The company had a trading volume of 2,556,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,442,905. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $351.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $330.31. 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 company has a market capitalization of $91.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.46.
HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.36 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total value of $5,797,585.36. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 12,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,765,000. BOS Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. BOS Asset Management LLC now owns 2,760 shares of the company's stock worth $954,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,629,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,510 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,213,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at $767,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.
HCA Healthcare Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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