KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Cuts Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lessened its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 66,798 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,840 shares during the quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $31,185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 172.0% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 23,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,856,000 after purchasing an additional 14,703 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $273,000. Optas LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. SageGuard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,576,000. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 129.6% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,578,000 after buying an additional 1,907 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.2%

HCA opened at $472.07 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $321.39 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The company has a market capitalization of $105.54 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $508.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $485.14.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 10.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on HCA. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, February 9th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $537.36.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at $4,721,924.61. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.