HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) SVP Kathryn A. Torres Sells 973 Shares of Stock

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $303,576.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 22,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,977,880. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $310.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $298.27. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.96 and a 12-month high of $335.83. The company has a market cap of $81.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.46, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.66.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.01 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $17.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 13.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $356.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $316.59.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.