3,380 Shares in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Bought by Allianz SE

Allianz SE bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,009,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $1,726,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 3,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $907,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. denkapparat Operations GmbH purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $309,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 160,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,158,000 after purchasing an additional 18,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,033,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $342.25 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $324.53 and its 200-day moving average is $340.92. The company has a market cap of $84.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $289.98 and a 12 month high of $417.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.90 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 13.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were 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 owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $405.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, January 27th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.67.

HCA Healthcare 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.