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

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $534.50.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HCA. Mizuho increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the sale, 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 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 shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 13.1% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,719,000 after purchasing an additional 5,092 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.3% in the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,115,000 after acquiring an additional 23,100 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 37.7% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Sector Gamma AS increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 10,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,638,000 after purchasing an additional 2,883 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 626,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,051,000 after buying an additional 17,531 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $534.93 on Friday. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $310.18 and a 1-year high of $552.90. The stock has a market cap of $119.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $499.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $464.00.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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