Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 2,170 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,660 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,170 shares during the quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $5,601,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 16.8% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,162,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 40,544.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 20,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,590,000 after buying an additional 20,272 shares during the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth about $268,000. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at about $251,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $316.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The company has a market capitalization of $78.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.64. The business’s 50 day moving average is $313.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $350.84. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.90 earnings per share. Analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 12.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $400.00 to $320.00 in a report on Monday, November 25th. 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, January 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.