Prudential Financial Inc. Has $30.73 Million Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 14.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,377 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,179 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $30,728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 21.9% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,069,000 after purchasing an additional 5,340 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 201.3% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,778 shares of the company’s stock valued at $723,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 1,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.2% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 4,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,671,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $336.12 on Wednesday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $322.63 and its 200 day moving average is $341.89. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.98 and a 12-month high of $417.14. The stock has a market cap of $82.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.68.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a return on equity of 586.47% and a net margin of 8.16%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.90 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HCA shares. Truist Financial cut 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.