HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Bought by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 25.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,187 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,481 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $4,953,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bangor Savings Bank increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This represents a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,438,494.76. This represents a 21.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE:HCA opened at $335.11 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $84.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $383.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $358.30. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $245.03 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on HCA. StockNews.com lowered HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Leerink Partners increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.00.

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.