First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 40,476 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 46.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 127,552 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 40,476 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $54,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA stock opened at $537.15 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $120.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.34. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $504.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $468.21. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $310.18 and a fifty-two week high of $552.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released 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. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Argus boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $537.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of HCA Healthcare 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,171,357.94. The trade was a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 in the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.