ING Groep NV Acquires 35,807 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

ING Groep NV increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 267.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,201 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,807 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $19,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bangor Savings Bank grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.5% in the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.00.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm’s 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. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider now owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $345.36 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $387.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $357.11. The stock has a market cap of $87.48 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $237.57 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 11.85%.

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.