HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Short Interest Up 18.9% in November

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 3,530,000 shares, a growth of 18.9% from the November 15th total of 2,970,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,390,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $313.93 on Monday. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $263.22 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The company has a market cap of $79.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $355.34 and a 200-day moving average of $358.75.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total value of $1,023,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This trade represents a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was 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 $18,445,700. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 5.2% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 3,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,573,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,278,000. American Trust acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $372,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,669,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $660,842,000 after buying an additional 174,946 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $688,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on HCA. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $400.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $387.13.

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.