HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 503,274 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,969 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $214,390,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Sovran Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the third quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the third quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.4% in the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $432,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Morgan Stanley cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.50.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and research upgrades: several outlets and analysts continue to rate HCA favorably — one consensus snapshot called the stock a “Moderate Buy,” reflecting continued analyst confidence that HCA can grow earnings and return capital to shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term demographic bull case: MarketBeat argues HCA is a likely beneficiary of U.S. aging demographics, noting management’s strong guidance (FY2026 EPS and EBITDA ranges), expanded capex, a $10B repurchase authorization and a raised dividend — all supportive of long‑term growth and shareholder returns. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate tweaks from Zacks: Zacks Research nudged near‑term EPS estimates slightly higher for Q2, Q3 and Q4 2026 and raised FY2026 to $29.63, which supports the earnings outlook, but it kept a “Hold” rating — a modest positive but not a strong endorsement. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ view is mixed farther out: while FY2026 estimates were lifted, Zacks trimmed its FY2028 EPS forecast modestly — a sign analysts see near‑term strength but some uncertainty on longer‑term margin expansion. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/industry headlines are mixed and mostly non‑company specific: a local hospital (Manchester’s Catholic Medical Center) plans to end outpatient mental‑health services and a leadership hire at Methodist Healthcare were reported — signals about regional capacity and staffing but with limited direct impact on HCA’s large national footprint. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term policy and revenue risks remain prominent: recent company commentary and market writeups note revenue growth was slightly below expectations in the prior quarter and management flagged $600–$900M of potential EBITDA headwinds from insurance‑exchange changes plus state supplemental payment declines — factors that could cap near‑term upside despite strong EPS. Article Title

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $533.63 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $500.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $465.79. The stock has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $310.18 and a twelve month high of $552.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.22 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total transaction of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at $4,721,924.61. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.