Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Sells 66,877 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 665,131 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66,877 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $283,479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 179.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HCA shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Stephens increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $588.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $521.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $501.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $295.00 and a fifty-two week high of $527.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $479.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $442.72.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 10.99%.

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.