StockNews.com Downgrades HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) to Buy

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

HCA has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $365.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price target for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.11.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $366.66 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $226.44 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $392.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $355.77. The stock has a market cap of $92.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.46, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.68.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC now owns 8,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,297,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.4% in the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.8% during the third quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 4,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,652,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.4% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.