Kiltearn Partners LLP Sells 33,300 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Kiltearn Partners LLP decreased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 37.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,300 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare comprises about 3.0% of Kiltearn Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Kiltearn Partners LLP’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $22,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HCA. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 322.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,141,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,276,909,000 after purchasing an additional 2,397,883 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth $131,527,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 53.3% in the second quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,472,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at about $95,882,000. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1,215.6% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HCA. Raymond James downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $380.29.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:HCA opened at $328.95 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $245.84 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The company 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $376.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $358.74.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This represents a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders have sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.