Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC Reduces Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC lessened its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 22.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,832 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,800 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare comprises approximately 1.1% of Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $7,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,152,408,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,309,000 after acquiring an additional 896,437 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $115,530,000. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 3,755.9% in the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 269,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,036,000 after buying an additional 262,912 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of HCA opened at $472.47 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $510.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $475.54. The company has a market cap of $105.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $314.43 and a 12-month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 10.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on HCA. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Argus raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $537.73.

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.