Candriam S.C.A. Lowers Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 38.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 99,102 shares of the company’s stock after selling 62,538 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $42,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 82.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 179.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Barclays increased 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $521.55.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $501.89 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $114.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $479.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $443.35. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $295.00 and a 12 month high of $527.55.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare 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.