StockNews.com Upgrades HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) to Buy

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on HCA. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $405.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $381.13.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE:HCA traded up $4.27 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $332.19. 1,528,131 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,395,113. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $417.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $330.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $331.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48.

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

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 34.2% in the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 3,656 shares of the company's stock worth $1,263,000 after acquiring an additional 931 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 0.8% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 880,663 shares of the company's stock worth $304,313,000 after acquiring an additional 6,888 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth approximately $289,000. Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 8.9% in the first quarter. Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. now owns 9,416 shares of the company's stock worth $3,254,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 15.9% in the first quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 21,636 shares of the company's stock worth $7,476,000 after acquiring an additional 2,976 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

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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