HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Shares Sold by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP lowered its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 15.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 250,041 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,857 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $101,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HCA. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 322.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,141,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,276,909,000 after buying an additional 2,397,883 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $131,527,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,472,000 after buying an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at about $95,882,000. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 1,215.6% during the second quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 160,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,493,000 after purchasing an additional 148,092 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. UBS Group upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Raymond James downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $380.29.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $328.95 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $376.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $358.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.32 billion, a PE ratio of 14.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $245.84 and a 12 month high of $417.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $1,363,950.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock worth $5,608,990. Corporate insiders own 1.70% 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.