HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by Zacks Investment Management

Zacks Investment Management decreased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 98.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 842 shares of the company's stock after selling 61,275 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1,470.4% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,218 shares of the company's stock worth $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 11,440 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 470,553 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,236,000 after acquiring an additional 220,512 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 7,388 shares of the company's stock worth $2,218,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the period. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth about $29,846,000. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $944,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Guggenheim began coverage on HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated a "neutral" rating and set a $336.00 price target (down previously from $396.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $381.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 4.0 %

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded down $13.72 on Friday, hitting $327.69. 2,803,570 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,398,028. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14. The company has a market cap of $80.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.92, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $329.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $332.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.77 by $0.68. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. The company had revenue of $18.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.36 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

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.