HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Gabelli Funds LLC

Gabelli Funds LLC lowered its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 21.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,110 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,915 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $13,685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 896 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley downgraded HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.50.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $533.63 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $500.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $310.18 and a 12 month high of $552.90.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 10.15%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.