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

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $537.7273.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $467.70 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $314.43 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The stock has a market cap of $104.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.34. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $510.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $477.00.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted 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. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The business had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.