HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Holdings Trimmed by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Bell Asset Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 37.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,274 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,042 shares during the quarter. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $3,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More HCA Healthcare News

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

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $533.63 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $500.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $465.79. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $310.18 and a 52 week high of $552.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. HCA Healthcare’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HCA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Argus raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. 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. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the firm’s 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 approximately $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. 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.