Empowered Funds LLC Acquires 2,019 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 21,824 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,019 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $8,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $342.96 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $385.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $357.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $238.82 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The firm has a market cap of $86.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.68.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,445,700. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock worth $5,608,990. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Leerink Partners increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com cut HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Five 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. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.00.

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.