Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Purchases 1,805 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 86.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,881 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,805 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisory Alpha LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 30.6% during the 3rd quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Alpha Family Trust acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $209,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $273,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 52.5% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,765,000 after buying an additional 1,425 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 164.4% during the 3rd quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 47,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,113,000 after buying an additional 29,341 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp set a $503.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, December 15th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $534.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the firm’s 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 $6,171,357.94. This trade represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total value of $2,020,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and research upgrades: several outlets and analysts continue to rate HCA favorably — one consensus snapshot called the stock a “Moderate Buy,” reflecting continued analyst confidence that HCA can grow earnings and return capital to shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term demographic bull case: MarketBeat argues HCA is a likely beneficiary of U.S. aging demographics, noting management’s strong guidance (FY2026 EPS and EBITDA ranges), expanded capex, a $10B repurchase authorization and a raised dividend — all supportive of long‑term growth and shareholder returns. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate tweaks from Zacks: Zacks Research nudged near‑term EPS estimates slightly higher for Q2, Q3 and Q4 2026 and raised FY2026 to $29.63, which supports the earnings outlook, but it kept a “Hold” rating — a modest positive but not a strong endorsement. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ view is mixed farther out: while FY2026 estimates were lifted, Zacks trimmed its FY2028 EPS forecast modestly — a sign analysts see near‑term strength but some uncertainty on longer‑term margin expansion. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/industry headlines are mixed and mostly non‑company specific: a local hospital (Manchester’s Catholic Medical Center) plans to end outpatient mental‑health services and a leadership hire at Methodist Healthcare were reported — signals about regional capacity and staffing but with limited direct impact on HCA’s large national footprint. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term policy and revenue risks remain prominent: recent company commentary and market writeups note revenue growth was slightly below expectations in the prior quarter and management flagged $600–$900M of potential EBITDA headwinds from insurance‑exchange changes plus state supplemental payment declines — factors that could cap near‑term upside despite strong EPS. Article Title

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.2%

HCA opened at $533.63 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $500.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $465.79. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $310.18 and a 12 month high of $552.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS 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 negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.15%.

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.