Narwhal Capital Management Lowers Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Narwhal Capital Management decreased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 16.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,506 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,714 shares during the quarter. Narwhal Capital Management’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $5,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Canoe Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 4.0 %

HCA stock opened at $312.51 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.64. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $279.93 and a one year high of $417.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of $313.49 and a 200-day moving average of $352.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 520.98% and a net margin of 8.52%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.90 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 21.75 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. Barclays cut their price target on HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.27.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This represents a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.