Magellan Asset Management Ltd Reduces Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Magellan Asset Management Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179 shares of the company’s stock after selling 405,421 shares during the quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $76,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,152,408,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 5.2% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 975,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,656,000 after buying an additional 47,960 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,309,000 after acquiring an additional 896,437 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.4% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 868,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,856,000 after purchasing an additional 3,396 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 over the last 90 days. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. Argus boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Mizuho set a $540.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $532.45.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $526.39 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $117.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $295.00 and a 1-year high of $552.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $490.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $457.88.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

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.