Kiltearn Partners LLP Boosts Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Kiltearn Partners LLP increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 42,700 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,200 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare comprises about 3.6% of Kiltearn Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Kiltearn Partners LLP’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $18,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on HCA. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,411,395. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $533.63 on Monday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $310.18 and a 12 month high of $552.90. The stock has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $500.34 and a 200 day moving average of $465.79.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.22 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 10.15%.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.