Financial Strategies Group Inc. Purchases 1,844 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Financial Strategies Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 12.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,289 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,844 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare comprises 1.4% of Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $5,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aviance Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth $2,543,000. LVW Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 76.4% in the 1st quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,064,000 after buying an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 4.6% during the first quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,627,000 after acquiring an additional 881 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 29.9% during the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 13,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,636,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norway Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 51.9% in the 1st quarter. Norway Savings Bank now owns 1,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of HCA traded up $5.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $320.41. The stock had a trading volume of 825,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,096,980. The business’s fifty day moving average is $325.96 and its 200 day moving average is $317.82. The firm has a market cap of $83.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.02. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.96 and a 52-week high of $344.20.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.01 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.81 billion. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 674.49% and a net margin of 8.20%. The company’s revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th were given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 973 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $303,576.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 22,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,977,880. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.00, for a total value of $494,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,544,316. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 973 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $303,576.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 22,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,977,880. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,397 shares of company stock valued at $3,921,929 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $396.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $327.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.53.

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.