Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $145.45 Million Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 20.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 307,343 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 52,362 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $145,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 56.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,328,000 after purchasing an additional 49,214 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HCA shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $483.45.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: HCA beat Q2 earnings estimates, reporting $7.59 per share versus expectations around $7.56-$7.57, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $20.23 billion and also topped estimates. HCA Healthcare earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management cited strong admissions and higher revenue per admission as key drivers of the quarter, suggesting healthy demand trends across its hospital network. Zacks article on HCA Q2 results
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA said its updated guidance is consistent with its earlier preview, so the quarter appears to confirm previously signaled results rather than deliver a major surprise. BusinessWire Q2 results
• Negative Sentiment: The company trimmed parts of its 2026 outlook, pointing to higher expenses and weaker surgical volumes as headwinds that could limit margin expansion. Zacks guidance revision article
• Negative Sentiment: Separate investor-law-firm investigations into HCA may add some legal overhang, though these notices are not operational results. Pomerantz investor alert

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $382.28 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $386.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $453.56. The firm has a market cap of $84.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.12. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $330.00 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.84 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.19 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 10.45%.

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.