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

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 46.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,552 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,476 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.06% of HCA Healthcare worth $54,363,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 82.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 179.5% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HCA shares. Zacks Research lowered HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $537.73.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.1%

HCA stock opened at $537.15 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $504.49 and a 200-day moving average of $468.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $310.18 and a 12 month high of $552.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. 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 is currently 10.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the 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. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.