Forsta AP Fonden Sells 1,200 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Forsta AP Fonden reduced its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $16,358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth about $39,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $41,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $405.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $382.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,445,700. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at $2,415,579. This trade represents a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of HCA stock opened at $327.80 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $313.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $353.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.72, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.64. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 520.98% and a net margin of 8.52%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.90 EPS. Research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 21.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.85%.

About HCA Healthcare

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.