HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System reduced its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 182,329 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,432 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.07% of HCA Healthcare worth $54,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $44,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:HCA opened at $316.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The business’s 50 day moving average is $313.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $352.55. 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 $80.09 billion, a PE ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.64.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.90 EPS. On average, analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on HCA shares. Bank of America dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Raymond James downgraded HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

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.