AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Buys 19,247 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 118.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,493 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,247 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $14,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at $11,438,494.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA traded down $3.18 during trading on Thursday, reaching $357.74. 291,687 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,159,975. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.73 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $394.11 and a 200-day moving average of $353.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $376.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Leerink Partners raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.11.

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.