Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $390.00 to $445.00 in a report published on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on HCA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $444.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $407.75.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of HCA stock opened at $400.95 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $289.98 and a 52-week high of $420.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $384.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $365.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.41.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.50 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.11%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,194,716.52. This trade represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.