KBC Group NV Reduces Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

KBC Group NV reduced its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 14.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 378,488 shares of the company’s stock after selling 63,326 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.15% of HCA Healthcare worth $153,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 284.0% during 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 during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $349.32 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.23 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business’s 50-day moving average is $387.95 and its 200 day moving average is $357.16.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.