HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) was downgraded by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $85.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 1.68% from the stock’s previous close.
Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 price objective (down from $95.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. ValuEngine downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. UBS cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $92.00 to $86.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.20.
Shares of HCA Healthcare (NYSE HCA) traded down $2.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $86.45. 3,414,919 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,309,322. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $71.18 and a one year high of $91.03. The stock has a market cap of $31,230.00, a P/E ratio of 13.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of -6.46.
In other news, insider Michael S. Cuffe sold 2,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.00, for a total value of $167,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,476 shares in the company, valued at approximately $973,128. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Victor L. Campbell sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.82, for a total transaction of $606,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 127,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,649,990.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 22,700 shares of company stock worth $1,773,872 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HCA. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P. lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 35.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P. now owns 1,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Atlantic Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $118,000. Acrospire Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter. Acrospire Investment Management LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, BB&T Investment Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $141,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.25% of the company’s stock.
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About HCA Healthcare
HCA Healthcare, Inc, formerly HCA Holdings, Inc, is a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities. As of December 31, 2016, the Company operated in two geographically organized groups, including the National and American Groups. As of December 31, 2016, the National Group included 84 hospitals, which were located in Alaska, California, Florida, southern Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, northern Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.
