HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Holdings Lifted by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 21.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,695 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,340 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $12,069,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 112.5% in the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,415,579. This represents a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,438,494.76. The trade was a 21.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HCA. StockNews.com cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research raised HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $380.29.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.0 %

HCA opened at $328.95 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $245.84 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The firm has a market cap of $83.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $376.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $358.74.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 11.85%.

HCA Healthcare 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.