HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Lowered to $355.00 at Morgan Stanley

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target lowered by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $406.00 to $355.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 18.67% from the stock’s current price.

HCA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.63.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $299.15 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $75.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.43, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $350.72 and its 200 day moving average is $357.93. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $263.22 and a 1-year 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.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This represents a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were 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 directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 31.7% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 17,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,241,000 after purchasing an additional 4,285 shares during the period. Meritage Group LP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $150,548,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $869,000. Chiron Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $3,548,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 225,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,335,000 after purchasing an additional 3,516 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.