Gallacher Capital Management LLC Acquires 1,305 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Gallacher Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 89.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,760 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Leerink Partners lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $534.00 to $435.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $486.14.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive, with one Seeking Alpha piece arguing HCA’s recent underperformance may already reflect the biggest policy and margin concerns, and that the stock could be set up for a rebound if fundamentals stabilize.
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays lowered its price target on HCA Healthcare from $427 to $402 and kept an equal-weight rating, signaling a more cautious near-term view even though the new target still implies modest upside from current levels. Barclays Cuts HCA Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that HCA’s stock still looks discounted relative to its long-term earnings power, but valuation arguments may be offset by growing concerns around reimbursement pressure and insurance coverage losses.
• Negative Sentiment: HCA cut its 2026 earnings outlook after reporting that federal policy changes, a worsening payer mix, and more uninsured patients could reduce profits by roughly $1 billion, raising concerns about margin compression and slower growth. HCA Cuts 2026 Earnings Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Reports also highlighted a $400 million hit linked to policy changes and weaker earnings quality, since part of the quarterly beat was helped by a one-time Medicaid payment rather than underlying operating strength.
• Negative Sentiment: Labor and contract issues at one HCA hospital added another headline risk, though this appears less material than the company’s earnings and policy-related pressures.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $385.71 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $85.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.26, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $393.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $457.65. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $330.00 and a 1-year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.73%.

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.