Verity & Verity LLC Takes Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Verity & Verity LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $901,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $377.72 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $451.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $480.74. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $330.00 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.18.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The firm had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Stephens cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings cut HCA Healthcare from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.