HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $537.7273.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price target 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday. Barclays raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,411,395. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $6,171,357.94. The trade was a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 18,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,850,000 after buying an additional 2,876 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $384,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 45,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,146,000 after buying an additional 3,234 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 285,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,410,000 after acquiring an additional 19,023 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $467.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $314.43 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $510.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $477.00.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm 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 a boost 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 is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.99%.

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.