HCA moves closer to $4.6 billion public offering

HCA, the Nashville-based hospital chain, has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to sell as much as $4.6 billion in stock later this summer and the company is moving ahead with those plans. In a regulatory filing, HCA revealed plans for a stock split under which existing private equity owners of its privately held stock would get 5.5 shares for each share currently held; and to boost its number of authorized shares. The split would be effective immediately before the IPO but is conditional on the offering.