Catalyst Financial Partners LLC Sells 86 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 801 shares of the company’s stock after selling 86 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HCA. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 4.0 %

HCA Healthcare stock traded up $12.48 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $321.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,147,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,096,598. The company has a market cap of $84.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $321.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $299.35. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.96 and a 52 week high of $335.83.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.01 by $0.35. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.20% and a return on equity of 674.49%. The business had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.93 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.74 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

HCA Healthcare declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HCA shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $316.59.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total value of $1,305,067.02. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 10,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,138,652.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 876 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.25, for a total value of $289,299.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $520,474. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total value of $1,305,067.02. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,138,652.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,055 shares of company stock worth $2,503,100 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.