HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $430.00 to $470.00. Bank of America currently has a neutral rating on the stock. HCA Healthcare traded as high as $469.18 and last traded at $468.68, with a volume of 1789515 shares. The stock had previously closed at $447.04.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on HCA. Morgan Stanley set a $425.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $460.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $471.42.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other 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 transaction of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. This trade represents a 10.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $27,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $109.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $416.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $383.23.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The company had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.90 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 11.13%.

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.