HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Truist Financial Analyst Says

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) had its price target upped by Truist Financial from $390.00 to $415.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on HCA. Morgan Stanley set a $410.00 price target on HCA Healthcare and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Stephens upgraded HCA Healthcare to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Barclays set a $416.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $404.00 price objective (up from $376.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $399.21.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of HCA stock traded down $0.98 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $361.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 337,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,449,875. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $376.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $343.58. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $289.98 and a one year high of $417.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $0.70. The company had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.26 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 1,063.91%. HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.36 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, COO Jon M. Foster sold 15,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.32, for a total value of $5,797,585.36. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,420.72. This represents a 55.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 888.9% in the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 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.