DAVENPORT & Co LLC Reduces Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

DAVENPORT & Co LLC trimmed its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 46.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,127 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,416 shares during the quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $2,394,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HCA. Sovran Advisors LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the third quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $432,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, One Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the third quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $959,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Sixteen investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $537.73.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $472.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $105.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.65, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $314.43 and a 1 year high of $556.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $510.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $475.97.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly 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. 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 revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.99%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.