Cherokee Insurance Co Cuts Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Cherokee Insurance Co reduced its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare accounts for approximately 1.5% of Cherokee Insurance Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Cherokee Insurance Co’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $3,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 82.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 179.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s share performance is strong on a year‑over‑year basis (shares up ~75% YoY), reinforcing momentum and investor confidence in the company’s results and outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other analysts highlight earnings growth and price strength; Zacks added HCA to focus coverage and raised FY‑2026 EPS estimates, supporting forward earnings momentum and valuation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: HCA raised its quarterly dividend (new quarterly payout announced), which narrows yield risk and is a modest positive for income‑oriented investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional flows and stake increases (e.g., Norges Bank, Pacer, Viking Global) point to strong institutional demand and provide technical/supportive buying pressure for the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA completed a 43‑hospital EHR rollout and is tracking success metrics — operational execution that can improve efficiency and integration over time but has a gradual, not immediate, earnings impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion moves — HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball acquired Supreme Care ER and StoneSprings plans a freestanding ER conversion — small, market‑level capacity adds that could modestly lift volumes in those geographies. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA sold ASC real estate — a financing/portfolio move that could free capital or change lease terms; impact depends on transaction use of proceeds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: two senior VPs disclosed multi‑million dollar sales (Christopher Wyatt sold ~$2.0M; Jennifer Berres sold ~$4.13M). Significant insider sales can create short‑term selling pressure or raise governance/portfolio‑rebalancing questions. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks/other outlets flagged a downward revision to HCA’s Q1 EPS forecast, which can pressure near‑term expectations even as FY estimates were raised. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HCA. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $523.27.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of HCA opened at $539.91 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $295.00 and a 52-week high of $552.90. The firm has a market cap of $120.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $482.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $448.96.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 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 EPS. The firm’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, equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total value of $2,020,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 13,520 shares of company stock valued at $6,894,067 over the last 90 days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.