Retirement Systems of Alabama Increases Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 350.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 204,812 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 159,303 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned 0.08% of HCA Healthcare worth $55,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA traded down $7.43 on Friday, reaching $306.69. The stock had a trading volume of 2,257,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,051,296. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.18. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.96 and a 12-month high of $335.83. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $323.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $295.45. The stock has a market cap of $81.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.65.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.01 by $0.35. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 996.30% and a net margin of 8.07%. The business had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.93 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.58 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.16%.

HCA Healthcare announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $310.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.79, for a total transaction of $981,728.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,647,967.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.79, for a total value of $981,728.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,647,967.91. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Sammie S. Mosier sold 1,645 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $513,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,385,552. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,840 shares of company stock valued at $4,588,869 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

About HCA Healthcare

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.