Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Makes New Investment in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $787,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 13.1% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,719,000 after buying an additional 5,092 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,115,000 after acquiring an additional 23,100 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 37.7% in the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 626,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,051,000 after purchasing an additional 17,531 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sector Gamma AS raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 10,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,638,000 after buying an additional 2,883 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $525.56 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $492.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $458.92. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $295.00 and a fifty-two week high of $552.90. The stock has a market cap of $117.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted 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 negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.22 EPS. The firm’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. Equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,721,924.61. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 27th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $534.50.

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.