Mather Group LLC. Boosts Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 7.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 867 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth $40,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on HCA. Baird R W upgraded HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $396.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $344.06.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA traded up $2.48 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $355.41. 285,808 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,160,676. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $335.52 and a 200 day moving average of $325.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $93.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $215.96 and a one year high of $369.41.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.53. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 553.13% and a net margin of 8.40%. The business had revenue of $17.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.29 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 22.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.16%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total transaction of $1,085,804.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,436,623.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 6,311 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.88, for a total value of $1,999,829.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,387,253.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total transaction of $1,085,804.37. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,436,623.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,668 shares of company stock valued at $6,309,885 over the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.