Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $355.00 to $410.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would suggest a potential upside of 10.27% from the stock's previous close.

HCA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 target price (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded 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 report on Thursday, May 29th. Stephens raised HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Barclays set a $416.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $392.47.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA traded down $12.52 on Monday, reaching $371.82. 1,176,925 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,441,891. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14. The company's 50 day moving average is $355.28 and its 200-day moving average is $331.71. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $89.45 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.49.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 12,646 shares in the company, valued at $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 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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