Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB Trims Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB lessened its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 54.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,379 shares of the company’s stock after selling 41,850 shares during the quarter. Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $10,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Norges Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $840,286,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 62.0% during the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,500,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,461,000 after buying an additional 574,239 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 120.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 873,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,264,000 after acquiring an additional 476,756 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Group LP bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $150,548,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,121,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $332.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $327.23 and a 200 day moving average of $339.87. The company has a market cap of $81.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company earned $5.90 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.