Independent Advisor Alliance Purchases 194 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 20.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,142 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bangor Savings Bank raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $325.47 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $373.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $358.28. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $245.84 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The stock has a market cap of $82.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.61, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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 issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,155 shares of company stock valued at $5,608,990. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on HCA shares. Morgan Stanley assumed 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 target on the stock. StockNews.com cut HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Monday. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.