HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,679 shares of the company’s stock after selling 80 shares during the quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,808,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 92.9% in the third quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on 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 raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $308.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Barclays began coverage on HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $356.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $314.05.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $313.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.07, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $320.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.61. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.96 and a 12-month high of $335.83.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $5.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.85. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 996.30% and a net margin of 8.07%. The company had revenue of $17.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.64 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.58 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.91%.

HCA Healthcare declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $6.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total transaction of $1,305,067.02. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,138,652.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 876 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.25, for a total value of $289,299.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $520,474. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total value of $1,305,067.02. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 10,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,138,652.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,840 shares of company stock worth $4,588,869 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.