Westpac Banking Corp Trims Stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Westpac Banking Corp trimmed its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 96.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 403 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,289 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,867,000 after buying an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 125.6% in the third quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 706 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,124,000 after acquiring an additional 2,543 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.7% during the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 0.5% in the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 4,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HCA shares. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $588.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen 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 MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $534.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the senior vice president directly 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 worth $7,797,595 over the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting HCA Healthcare

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price-target lift — Mizuho set a new $585 price target for HCA, reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment and helping support the stock’s rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Post‑earnings momentum — Analysts and writeups (Zacks) highlight HCA’s strong post‑earnings performance (EPS beat and raised FY26 guidance), which is a key reason for recent share gains. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor roadshow / conference calendar — HCA will present at multiple March healthcare conferences (TD Cowen, Raymond James, Barclays, Leerink, Oppenheimer), increasing institutional visibility and liquidity. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion & facility investments — TriStar (an HCA division) is planning a $21M freestanding ER in Fairview and HCA (with Ascension) is targeting high‑growth markets with ER builds, signaling organic growth and franchise expansion. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market strategy: ER build partnership — Coverage on HCA and Ascension targeting growth markets with ER builds points to disciplined capital deployment to capture patient volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Quality recognition — A local report highlights high marks for HCA on CABG outcomes, which supports reputation and could help referrals/volume over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and reputation wins — HCA and several systems made Fortune’s Most‑Admired list, a positive for reputation and hiring/partnerships. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Local market developments — Coverage of Northeast Florida health‑care development (HCA, Baptist, Ascension St. Vincent’s) outlines competitive dynamics; useful for regional growth outlook but not an immediate system‑wide catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: New clinic opening — HCA Florida’s North Florida Hospital launched a test‑and‑treat clinic (local operational expansion), positive for access but a limited impact on consolidated results. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Governance / compensation update — HCA disclosed its 2026 executive bonus plan and a longtime board member will retire; watch for details tying pay to metrics, but this is mostly governance housekeeping. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative performance pieces — A Yahoo Finance comparison of HCA vs. peer healthcare stocks offers context for investors but contains no new company-specific catalyst. Read More.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $528.69 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $493.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $459.94. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $295.00 and a 52-week high of $552.90. The company has a market cap of $118.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.22 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis 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 currently 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.