Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Buys 3,052 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,557 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,052 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $7,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $319.75 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $363.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $358.61. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.85 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.63. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at $11,438,494.76. The trade was a 21.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. 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 three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Raymond James downgraded HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $380.29.

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.