Nuveen Asset Management LLC Purchases 81,105 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,865,771 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 81,105 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.74% of HCA Healthcare worth $560,011,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $18,044,000. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,122,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 116,075 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,840,000 after acquiring an additional 8,329 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 120.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 873,775 shares of the company's stock worth $262,264,000 after purchasing an additional 476,756 shares during the period. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 120,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,931 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA traded down $0.19 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $386.70. 342,160 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,664,366. The firm has a market cap of $93.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $289.98 and a one year high of $417.14. The stock's fifty day moving average is $342.18 and its 200 day moving average is $328.51.

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

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given 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 yield of 0.74%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.81%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $336.00 target price (down from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $384.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $381.13.

About HCA Healthcare

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.