Wealthfront Advisers LLC Invests $7.09 Million in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 18,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,087,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,069,974,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $1,262,513,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $374,037,000. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 4,545.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 663,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,686,000 after buying an additional 649,058 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA opened at $407.28 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $395.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $444.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $353.99 and a 1-year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.84 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $465.59.

HCA Healthcare Profile

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.