HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Brandes Investment Partners LP

Brandes Investment Partners LP trimmed its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 386,831 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,225 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare accounts for about 1.4% of Brandes Investment Partners LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $180,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 24,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,658,000 after purchasing an additional 5,363 shares during the last quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $358,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 48,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,613,000 after purchasing an additional 4,517 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,234,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,278,000 after purchasing an additional 60,967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 3.5%

HCA opened at $374.01 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $435.15 and its 200-day moving average is $475.62. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $330.00 and a 52-week high of $556.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The firm had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.09 billion. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.45 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.73%.

Key HCA Healthcare News

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Michael Burry reportedly loaded up on HCA shares, saying the recent selloff created a buying opportunity and highlighting HCA’s strong compounding potential. Michael Burry Loads Up On HCA, Says Selloff Created A Buying Opportunity — ‘Insanely Efficient Compounder’
• Positive Sentiment: HCA announced an agreement to acquire The College of Health Care Professions, a move that could strengthen its healthcare workforce pipeline and expand its training footprint. HCA Healthcare (HCA) Announces Agreement to Acquire The College of Health Care Professions
• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s ongoing urgent care expansion, including securing additional Lowcountry clinic locations, points to continued outpatient growth and broader patient access. HCA’s urgent care spree continues
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA Surgery Ventures named a supply chain CEO, an operational move that may improve execution but is unlikely to be a major short-term stock driver. HCA Surgery Ventures names supply chain CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA also awarded a grant to a STEM program and was highlighted in community/hospital staffing stories, which are supportive of its brand but likely have limited direct impact on earnings. HCA Healthcare awards grant to STEM program

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HCA. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $506.14.

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.