HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $535.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from $525.00 to $535.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $505.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, December 15th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $445.00 to $494.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $488.75.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $466.10 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $295.00 and a 1-year high of $520.00. The company has a market capitalization of $106.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $480.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $432.89.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $1.32. The firm had revenue of $19.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.55 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sovran Advisors LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the third quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 3.9% during the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, One Capital Management LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $959,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.