KG&L Capital Management LLC Raises Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

KG&L Capital Management LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 55.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,609 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,283 shares during the quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 31.7% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 17,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,241,000 after buying an additional 4,285 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Group LP bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $150,548,000. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,044,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $869,000. Finally, NRI Wealth Management LC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $2,896,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $330.24 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.65 billion, a PE ratio of 15.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $313.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.05. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $289.98 and a one year high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.90 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.02%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $405.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

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.