Vanguard Group Inc. Has $6.87 Billion Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,716,173 shares of the company’s stock after selling 178,502 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of HCA Healthcare worth $6,870,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.8% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,113,662,000 after purchasing an additional 179,443 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.8% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,065,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $880,199,000 after acquiring an additional 36,414 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,267,000 after buying an additional 8,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,100,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,216,000 after purchasing an additional 11,829 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the topic of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and demand beat/strength: Q1 revenue rose ~4.3% to $19.11B and the company cited strong medical care demand; some outlets note the company beat profit estimates on service demand. HCA Healthcare beats quarterly profit estimates on medical care demand
• Positive Sentiment: Margins still meaningful: HCA reported a ~12% operating margin in Q1, showing underlying profitability despite a dynamic operating environment. HCA posts 12% operating margin in Q1: 8 things to know
• Neutral Sentiment: Official results and call: HCA reported EPS of $7.15 and released its earnings call transcript and press release (revenue in line with consensus). These documents give full context on volumes, mix and expense items for analysts. HCA Healthcare Reports First Quarter 2026 Results Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Volume weakness weighed heavily: Surgical volumes softened and total volumes missed seasonal expectations, which traders flagged as the main reason for the share decline despite a near-term beat on profits. HCA Healthcare stock plunges nearly 8% on weak volume trends despite Q1 beat
• Negative Sentiment: EPS/guidance miss vs. street: Reported EPS was roughly flat to estimates (small miss on some models) and FY26 guidance of $29.10–$31.50 EPS (and revenue range) sits slightly below consensus, prompting downward revisions. HCA Trading/Guidance Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Policy and longer-term growth concerns: Analysts warn policy headwinds (Medicaid/ACA subsidy rollbacks) may limit admissions growth to low single digits over coming years — a reason at least one shop trimmed upside and moved to Hold. Policy Pressures May Be Limiting Admissions (Upgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising expenses and margin retracement: Several reports cite higher expenses and a ~50 bps margin retracement in the quarter, which combined with volume softness amplifies near-term earnings risk. Q1 Earnings Miss on Rising Expenses

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of HCA opened at $433.04 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $96.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $505.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $485.81. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $321.39 and a 1 year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.15 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.99%.

HCA Healthcare 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.