HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 393,081 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,267 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.15% of HCA Healthcare worth $106,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA Healthcare stock traded down $9.47 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $317.18. 1,232,231 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,097,358. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.66. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.96 and a 12 month high of $335.83. The business's 50-day moving average is $321.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.89.

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

HCA Healthcare announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 344 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.97, for a total transaction of $110,757.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,452 shares of the company's stock, valued at $789,470.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 344 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.97, for a total value of $110,757.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,452 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $789,470.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,600 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,754 shares of company stock valued at $3,714,312. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCA has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $359.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $356.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $317.00.

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.

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