Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 503,274 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,969 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.22% of HCA Healthcare worth $214,390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Sovran Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.9% in the third 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 stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.4% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. The trade was a 40.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HCA has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp set a $503.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.50.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $533.63 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $119.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $500.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.79. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $310.18 and a 52-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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.78 dividend. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a 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%.

Trending Headlines about 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

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.