HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Increased to $376.00 by Analysts at Barclays

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price objective upped by Barclays from $367.00 to $376.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on HCA Healthcare in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set an outperform rating and a $396.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded HCA Healthcare from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $359.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $327.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Four investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $327.06.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $324.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $84.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.68. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $327.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $320.45. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $215.96 and a one year high of $344.20.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.01 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.20% and a return on equity of 674.49%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.93 EPS. Research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 20.97 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.00, for a total transaction of $494,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,544,316. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.00, for a total transaction of $494,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,124 shares in the company, valued at $10,544,316. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jeffrey E. Cohen sold 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.00, for a total value of $516,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,185 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,905. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,397 shares of company stock worth $3,921,929 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.