Ascent Group LLC Lowers Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Ascent Group LLC lessened its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 16.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,896 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,523 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $3,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 82.9% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:HCA opened at $472.01 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $105.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50-day moving average is $511.18 and its 200 day moving average is $479.01. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $314.43 and a 12 month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.22 EPS. The company’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. On average, research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of HCA Healthcare 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This trade represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 in the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $529.00 to $561.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group boosted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $537.73.

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.