California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 25,910 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

California Public Employees Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 375,204 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,910 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.14% of HCA Healthcare worth $101,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. abrdn plc increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 164,419 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,444,000 after purchasing an additional 7,476 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $10,085,000. DNB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 60,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,425,000 after purchasing an additional 7,476 shares in the last quarter. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth $1,100,000. Finally, Comerica Bank increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 623.3% in the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 43,502 shares of the company's stock worth $10,701,000 after acquiring an additional 37,488 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.1 %

HCA stock traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $319.14. 835,558 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,087,382. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.81, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $324.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $293.19. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.96 and a 12-month high of $335.83.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $5.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.85. The business had revenue of $17.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.51 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 996.30%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.91%.

HCA Healthcare declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $359.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $314.05.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 3,861 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total value of $1,185,327.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,880,993. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 3,861 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total value of $1,185,327.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,880,993. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.79, for a total transaction of $981,728.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,647,967.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,840 shares of company stock valued at $4,588,869 over the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare 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.