Ethic Inc. Boosts Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Ethic Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 35.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,310 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,781 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $10,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 13.1% in 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 last quarter. National Pension Service raised its position 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 valued at $267,051,000 after buying an additional 17,531 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Sector Gamma AS raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 36.0% in the third 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. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,084,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $507,393,000 after purchasing an additional 108,849 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $434.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $491.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $486.57. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $330.00 and a one year high of $556.52. The firm has a market cap of $96.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.94, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.18.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The business had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.45 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at $4,721,924.61. The trade was 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 through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total transaction of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 13,714 shares of company stock worth $7,050,460 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $29.82 from $29.63, suggesting confidence in HCA’s near-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: The analyst firm also lifted its Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $7.27 from $7.21 and Q3 2026 EPS to $7.23 from $7.11, indicating improving expectations for the current year.
• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s earnings outlook remains solid versus the broader consensus of $30.05 per share for the current full year, which helps support investor confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA continues to receive attention for operational and community-related headlines, including coverage of its pay/perks, uncompensated care, and community outreach issues, but these items do not appear to be immediate market-moving catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered several longer-term estimates, including FY2027 EPS to $32.32 from $33.18, FY2028 EPS to $36.61 from $37.40, and multiple quarterly forecasts for 2027, which could pressure sentiment around future growth.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on HCA. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $541.00 to $503.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $593.00 to $534.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $517.82.

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.