HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock: D.A. Davidson & CO. Decreases Stake

D.A. Davidson & CO. trimmed its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 46.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,415 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,241 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $604,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 171.7% during the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,242 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,954,000 after acquiring an additional 3,945 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 27.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 467,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,380,000 after acquiring an additional 100,764 shares in the last quarter. SEB Asset Management AB purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at approximately $75,534,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 46.7% in the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,879,000 after purchasing an additional 350,000 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $238,457,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $494.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $103.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.11. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $353.99 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $443.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $445.25.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. The business had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.15 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, COO Jon Foster sold 21,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.95, for a total value of $10,746,849.35. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,949,500. This trade represents a 68.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael J. Schlosser sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $494.65, for a total transaction of $593,580.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $713,779.95. This trade represents a 45.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,913 shares of company stock valued at $16,481,129. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $387.00 to $401.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $460.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. UBS Group dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $480.13.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors have welcomed expectations that a Democratic-controlled Congress could provide a policy tailwind for hospitals. However, the anticipated relief is not yet enacted and still depends on legislative and funding steps. HCA Healthcare Gains Policy Tailwind
• Positive Sentiment: HCA is expanding AI tools, with its nurse handoff technology heading to 100 hospitals and ambient AI expected to reach 10,000 physicians by year-end. These deployments could support workflow efficiency. AI nurse handoff tool
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and technical coverage is supportive: Truist reaffirmed its Buy rating, while Zacks highlighted earnings growth, price strength and a bullish moving-average signal. Truist reaffirms Buy rating Zacks stock outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA completed a $6.5 billion senior notes offering. The report confirms the financing but gives limited detail on its use or effect on borrowing costs. Senior notes offering
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA’s AI chief emphasized that delaying a rollout can be appropriate, suggesting a measured approach that may limit near-term adoption while managing implementation risks. HCA AI rollout strategy
• Negative Sentiment: One report flagged potential payer pressure in HCA’s 2027 outlook, a concern for future hospital reimbursement and margins. Payer pressure outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said it is investigating investor claims involving HCA. The announcement provides no findings, but the inquiry may create a legal overhang. Investor investigation announcement

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other care facilities. Its services include inpatient and outpatient care, emergency treatment, surgery, diagnostic services and specialized care across areas such as cancer and cardiovascular medicine.

The company serves patients in the United States and the United Kingdom through its network of hospitals and outpatient facilities, including surgery centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices.

Founded in 1968, HCA Healthcare is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.