Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Reduces Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lowered its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 62.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,772 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,529 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at about $840,286,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 62.0% in the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,500,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,461,000 after purchasing an additional 574,239 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 120.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 873,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,264,000 after buying an additional 476,756 shares during the period. Meritage Group LP purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth $150,548,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $74,121,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total transaction of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at $4,971,757.08. The trade was a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 4.8 %

HCA opened at $332.53 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $417.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $327.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $339.47. The company has a market capitalization of $81.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.90 EPS. Analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. KeyCorp cut their price target on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $390.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.67.

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.