Inceptionr LLC Makes New Investment in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 3,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,426,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,152,408,000. Viking Global Investors LP raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 5.2% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 975,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $415,656,000 after acquiring an additional 47,960 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,309,000 after purchasing an additional 896,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.4% in the 2nd 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $533.63 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $310.18 and a fifty-two week high of $552.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $500.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $465.79.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.15%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HCA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $534.50.

About HCA Healthcare

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.