KBC Group NV Has $108.98 Million Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

KBC Group NV cut its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 363,092 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,396 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $108,982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,060,000. Vista Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 8,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,540,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $993,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,769,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $115,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HCA. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Raymond James cut HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $312.51 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $313.49 and its 200 day moving average is $352.87. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $279.93 and a 52-week high of $417.14. The firm has a market cap of $79.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 520.98%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.90 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 21.75 EPS for the current year.

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.