HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Hits New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $556.31 and last traded at $554.3010, with a volume of 225991 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $537.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HCA. UBS Group lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $537.73.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $507.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $469.55. The company has a market capitalization of $119.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.34.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.99%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This trade represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 in the last 90 days. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 82.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.