QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 4,423 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 105,663 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,423 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $31,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1,250.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $405.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.67.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $319.65 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $314.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $350.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.64.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.90 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.11%.

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.