Norges Bank Acquires New Shares in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,704,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,262,513,000. Norges Bank owned 1.19% of HCA Healthcare as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $374,037,000. Viking Global Investors LP raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 4,545.5% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 663,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,686,000 after acquiring an additional 649,058 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth about $115,530,000. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3,755.9% in the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 269,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,036,000 after acquiring an additional 262,912 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $377.72 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.79 billion, a PE ratio of 12.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.18. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $330.00 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $451.94 and a 200 day moving average of $480.74.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.45 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $561.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $515.77.

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.