HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $450.00

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target raised by Robert W. Baird from $423.00 to $450.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $412.00 to $431.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $445.00 to $494.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $475.95.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $484.67 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $520.00. The company has a market cap of $110.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $465.59 and a 200 day moving average of $413.86.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The business had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.90 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 11.13%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% 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. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,021,000. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 24.2% in the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,077,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 690.7% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 34,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,038,000 after purchasing an additional 40,735 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 164,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,677,000 after buying an additional 39,250 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 80.7% in the 1st quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 25,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,772,000 after buying an additional 11,338 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.