Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Increases Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 38.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,711 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,868 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up approximately 1.4% of Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 13.1% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,719,000 after purchasing an additional 5,092 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,115,000 after buying an additional 23,100 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Sector Gamma AS increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 2,883 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.9% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 626,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,051,000 after purchasing an additional 17,531 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $525.56 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $295.00 and a twelve month high of $552.90. The company’s fifty day moving average is $492.87 and its 200-day moving average is $458.92. The stock has a market cap of $117.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The business had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.22 EPS. The firm’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. On average, research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.78 per share. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.15%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 over the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.