Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. Cuts Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. decreased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 75.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 625 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,899 shares during the period. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,152,408,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,309,000 after purchasing an additional 896,437 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd 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. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth $106,605,000. Finally, HRT Financial LP bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $81,596,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and research upgrades: several outlets and analysts continue to rate HCA favorably — one consensus snapshot called the stock a “Moderate Buy,” reflecting continued analyst confidence that HCA can grow earnings and return capital to shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term demographic bull case: MarketBeat argues HCA is a likely beneficiary of U.S. aging demographics, noting management’s strong guidance (FY2026 EPS and EBITDA ranges), expanded capex, a $10B repurchase authorization and a raised dividend — all supportive of long‑term growth and shareholder returns. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate tweaks from Zacks: Zacks Research nudged near‑term EPS estimates slightly higher for Q2, Q3 and Q4 2026 and raised FY2026 to $29.63, which supports the earnings outlook, but it kept a “Hold” rating — a modest positive but not a strong endorsement. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ view is mixed farther out: while FY2026 estimates were lifted, Zacks trimmed its FY2028 EPS forecast modestly — a sign analysts see near‑term strength but some uncertainty on longer‑term margin expansion. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/industry headlines are mixed and mostly non‑company specific: a local hospital (Manchester’s Catholic Medical Center) plans to end outpatient mental‑health services and a leadership hire at Methodist Healthcare were reported — signals about regional capacity and staffing but with limited direct impact on HCA’s large national footprint. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term policy and revenue risks remain prominent: recent company commentary and market writeups note revenue growth was slightly below expectations in the prior quarter and management flagged $600–$900M of potential EBITDA headwinds from insurance‑exchange changes plus state supplemental payment declines — factors that could cap near‑term upside despite strong EPS. Article Title

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:HCA opened at $533.63 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $500.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $465.40. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $310.18 and a twelve month high of $552.90. The stock has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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 expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. 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 raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $534.50.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.