Ascent Group LLC Sells 1,523 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Ascent Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 16.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,896 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,523 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $3,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.8% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,113,662,000 after acquiring an additional 179,443 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,065,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $880,199,000 after purchasing an additional 36,414 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after buying an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,267,000 after buying an additional 8,478 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,100,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $469,216,000 after acquiring an additional 11,829 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $472.01 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $511.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $479.01. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $314.43 and a 12 month high of $556.52. The company has a market capitalization of $105.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.22 earnings per share. 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 year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.99%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 sold 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HCA shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $537.73.

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.