Auxano Advisors LLC Invests $372,000 in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Auxano Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $372,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA traded down $1.60 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $309.82. 946,179 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,106,670. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.02. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.96 and a 1-year high of $335.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $323.67 and its 200-day moving average is $295.56. The stock has a market cap of $81.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.65.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly 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 firm posted $4.93 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.16%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.79, for a total transaction of $981,728.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,647,967.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Chad J. Wasserman sold 344 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.97, for a total transaction of $110,757.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,452 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $789,470.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,200 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.79, for a total value of $981,728.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,647,967.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,840 shares of company stock worth $4,588,869 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $359.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $303.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Raymond James lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $316.59.

HCA Healthcare 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.