Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 4,276 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 32.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,087 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,276 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 322.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,141,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,276,909,000 after buying an additional 2,397,883 shares during the last quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 53.3% during the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,472,000 after acquiring an additional 400,000 shares during the period. Meritage Group LP acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $150,548,000. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 210.6% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 306,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,691,000 after purchasing an additional 208,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 843,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,020,000 after purchasing an additional 193,075 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $392.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $396.00 to $392.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $406.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.27.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $318.47 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $315.74 and its 200-day moving average is $353.08. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $278.68 and a one year high of $417.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at $2,415,579. The trade was a 29.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,445,700. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.