HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Bought by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,404,003 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 456,738 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare accounts for approximately 5.7% of Sanders Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 4.26% of HCA Healthcare worth $3,086,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA traded up $9.97 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $335.10. 1,577,278 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,077,033. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.96 and a 12 month high of $336.93. The stock has a market cap of $87.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $318.33 and a 200 day moving average of $306.83.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.01 by $0.35. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.20% and a return on equity of 674.49%. The company had revenue of $17.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.93 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 13.16%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 876 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.25, for a total value of $289,299.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $520,474. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 876 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.25, for a total transaction of $289,299.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $520,474. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 6,311 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.88, for a total transaction of $1,999,829.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 29,624 shares in the company, valued at $9,387,253.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,617 shares of company stock worth $4,321,986 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $327.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $325.59.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.