ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $348,000 Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 3.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,082 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $348,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,989,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,666,569,000 after acquiring an additional 60,304 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 11,404,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,086,836,000 after acquiring an additional 456,738 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,186,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,757,181,000 after purchasing an additional 170,560 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,503,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,219,121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,890 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 57.5% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,792,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $931,342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019,750 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA traded up $1.86 on Tuesday, hitting $376.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 109,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,138,025. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.68. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $215.96 and a one year high of $377.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $341.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $329.01.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $17.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.05 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.40% and a return on equity of 553.13%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.29 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 22.43 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.16%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total transaction of $1,085,804.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,436,623.54. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.20, for a total transaction of $1,440,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,449 shares in the company, valued at $14,569,729.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total transaction of $1,085,804.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,436,623.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,844 shares of company stock valued at $3,185,932 over the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on HCA shares. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $396.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.67.

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.