Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Lowers Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 460,809 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,491 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $196,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,719,000 after purchasing an additional 5,092 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 4.3% in the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,115,000 after buying an additional 23,100 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 37.7% during 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 lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 36.0% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $533.63 on Monday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $310.18 and a 1 year high of $552.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $500.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $465.79. The stock has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results 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 the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s quarterly 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 expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on HCA. Oppenheimer increased 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. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $534.50.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $6,171,357.94. This trade represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

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

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.