HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price Up 5% on Strong Earnings

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)’s share price shot up 5% on Monday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $327.81 and last traded at $328.75. 883,044 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the average session volume of 1,654,547 shares. The stock had previously closed at $313.07.

The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 520.98%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.90 earnings per share.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. Raymond James lowered HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $384.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $1,363,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at $2,415,579. This represents a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $39,000. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 5.0 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $83.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $313.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $353.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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.