Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,894,675 shares of the company’s stock after selling 580,889 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 6.53% of HCA Healthcare worth $6,348,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 82.9% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at $40,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 179.5% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Argus raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $523.27.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.9%

HCA opened at $539.91 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $120.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $483.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $450.93. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $295.00 and a 52 week high of $552.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,411,395. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 13,520 shares of company stock valued at $6,894,067 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.