Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Cuts Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund reduced its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 12.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,501 shares of the company’s stock after selling 750 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 115.5% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at about $212,000. Cynosure Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth about $320,000. PAX Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $202,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 8.0% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 50,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,939,000 after acquiring an additional 3,752 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $342.96 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $385.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $357.58. 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 market cap of $86.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $238.82 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.85%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 21.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,155 shares of company stock worth $5,608,990 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wolfe Research raised HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $392.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.00.

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.