Sentry Investment Management LLC Trims Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 17.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 867 shares of the company’s stock after selling 178 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HCA. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.5% in the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.05, for a total transaction of $659,327.85. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 17,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,303,912.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 1,857 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.05, for a total value of $659,327.85. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 17,755 shares in the company, valued at $6,303,912.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total value of $1,085,804.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,454 shares in the company, valued at $3,436,623.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,844 shares of company stock worth $3,185,932 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.6 %

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $388.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $101.79 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $359.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $337.17. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.96 and a 52 week high of $403.05.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.53. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.40% and a return on equity of 553.13%. The firm had revenue of $17.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.29 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 22.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $376.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Wolfe Research raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price objective on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $359.89.

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.