Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 208,920 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,350 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of HCA Healthcare worth $62,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $840,286,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 62.0% in the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,500,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,461,000 after purchasing an additional 574,239 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 120.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 873,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,264,000 after buying an additional 476,756 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Group LP acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth about $150,548,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,121,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $342.25 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $289.98 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $324.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $341.25.

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 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.90 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $405.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a 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 issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. This represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.