Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 26,584 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,283,368 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,584 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.51% of HCA Healthcare worth $385,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $219,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.6% during the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,086,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $12,396,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 4.0 %

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $319.65 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.55, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $417.14. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $314.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $350.12.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.90 EPS. Analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 13.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $405.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.67.

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.