Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Has $2.93 Million Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 70.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,251 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,592 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 82.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $469.08 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $107.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $480.68 and a 200-day moving average of $431.78. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $295.00 and a 52 week high of $520.00.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.90 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HCA shares. Leerink Partners raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. KeyCorp upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $465.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $445.00 to $494.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $487.00.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a for?profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.