QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 2,357 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,083 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $23,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 42.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 43,852 shares of the company's stock worth $10,787,000 after purchasing an additional 13,019 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 167,371 shares of the company's stock worth $41,170,000 after acquiring an additional 47,542 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at about $308,000. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 15.3% in the third quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. now owns 1,002 shares of the company's stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,960 shares of the company's stock worth $2,450,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of HCA traded up $4.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $326.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,030,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,261,102. The firm has a market cap of $85.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.66. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.96 and a 52-week high of $335.83. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $321.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $300.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.01 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $17.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.20% and a return on equity of 674.49%. The business's revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.93 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.79 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.16%.

HCA Healthcare declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $317.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,600 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.00, for a total transaction of $494,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,544,316. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 973 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $303,576.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 22,365 shares in the company, valued at $6,977,880. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.00, for a total transaction of $494,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,124 shares in the company, valued at $10,544,316. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,793 shares of company stock valued at $1,198,033. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HCA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.