HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 14,894,675 shares of the company’s stock after selling 580,889 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.07% of HCA Healthcare worth $6,348,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 179.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,520 shares of company stock valued at $6,894,067. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $588.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Stephens upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen equities 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $523.27.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $539.91 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $483.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $450.93. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $295.00 and a one year high of $552.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

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.