Rathbones Group PLC Sells 3,847 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Rathbones Group PLC decreased its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,303 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,847 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $19,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 19.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 15,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,418,000 after buying an additional 2,493 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 0.6% in the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 5,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,377,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund now owns 2,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,374,000. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 2.4% during the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $500.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.79. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $310.18 and a 52 week high of $552.90. The company has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released 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. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s 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 anticipate 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.