AXQ Capital LP Buys Shares of 858 HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Umpqua Bank raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 6,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,113,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 36.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 31,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,593,000 after buying an additional 8,623 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 17,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,188,000 after buying an additional 5,236 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $9,240,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $329.25 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $81.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.99, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $321.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $342.71. 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 1-year low of $289.98 and a 1-year high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.90 earnings per share. Research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 13.11%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HCA. Bank of America dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $405.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $380.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average 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.