5,280 HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lessened its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 180,524 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,280 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $77,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,069,974,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,835,397,000 after buying an additional 799,761 shares during the period. Darsana Capital Partners LP increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $428,879,000 after acquiring an additional 350,000 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $410,992,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $371,138,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its HCA price target from $496 to $521 and reaffirmed an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 10% upside from the referenced trading level. Royal Bank of Canada analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen increased its price target for HCA Healthcare, adding to the series of favorable analyst revisions following the company’s latest results. TD Cowen price target article
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp also boosted its HCA price target, reinforcing Wall Street’s constructive view of the hospital operator. KeyCorp price target article
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its target as well, suggesting analysts see further value after HCA’s quarterly earnings beat. Robert W. Baird price target article
• Positive Sentiment: HCA said 102 hospitals received Healthgrades recognition for specialty-care excellence, potentially supporting the company’s reputation, patient demand and competitive positioning. Healthgrades recognition announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA HealthONE agreed to pay $14.5 million for a Wheat Ridge retail center and plans to develop a medical park. The project could expand local capacity, but its financial contribution and execution timeline remain uncertain. Wheat Ridge medical park article
• Neutral Sentiment: A St. David’s HealthCare CEO plans to retire in March, creating a leadership transition within an HCA-affiliated system. St. David’s CEO retirement article
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of HCA investors. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but adds legal and headline risk that can pressure the stock. Pomerantz investor investigation announcement

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $472.94 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $353.99 and a one year high of $556.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $437.44 and its 200-day moving average is $444.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $102.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $19.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $490.00 to $425.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Sixteen equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $475.70.

HCA Healthcare Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency care facilities, physician practices and other healthcare sites. Its facilities provide a broad range of services, including acute and emergency care, surgery, cardiology, oncology, women’s and children’s services, behavioral health and outpatient care.

The company serves patients primarily across the United States through a network of healthcare facilities in numerous states.