Martingale Asset Management L P Buys 42,577 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Martingale Asset Management L P raised its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 247.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 59,758 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,577 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $24,287,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HCA. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 53.5% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,196 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $537,000. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,379,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 205.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,255,000 after purchasing an additional 12,608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 7,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 1,916 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.29.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $325.47 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $245.84 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $373.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $358.28. The company has a market capitalization of $82.44 billion, a PE ratio of 14.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 11.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were 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 owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,438,494.76. This represents a 21.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,155 shares of company stock worth $5,608,990. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare 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.