Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Buys 7,588 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 5.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 149,727 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,588 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV owned about 0.07% of HCA Healthcare worth $63,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 21.8% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 49.9% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,132,000 after purchasing an additional 3,593 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $525.12 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $314.43 and a 12-month high of $556.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $508.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $471.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its 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 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.99%.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.