AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Buys 19,247 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 118.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,493 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,247 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $14,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.0% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 17,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,011,000 after buying an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,166,000. Oak Harvest Investment Services bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $2,875,000. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $12,396,000. Finally, Hedeker Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.0% during the third quarter. Hedeker Wealth LLC now owns 11,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,577,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA stock traded down $3.18 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $357.74. 291,687 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,159,975. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.73 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $394.11 and its 200 day moving average is $353.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11. The stock has a market cap of $93.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were 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 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the topic of several research reports. Wolfe Research raised HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $365.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.11.

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.