National Pension Service Boosts Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

National Pension Service raised its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 626,585 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,531 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $267,051,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,606,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $234,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $488.19 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a one year low of $295.00 and a one year high of $527.55. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $481.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $437.35.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its 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 company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.22 EPS. The firm’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. As a group, equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.15%.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly results and market reaction — HCA reported an EPS beat and raised FY 2026 guidance, prompting coverage noting a gap up in the stock after the print. Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts boost targets and maintain bullish ratings — Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $558 (buy) and Leerink Partners increased its target to $573 (outperform), supporting further upside potential. Goldman Sachs Raises PT Leerink Raises PT TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: Additional bullish analyst commentary — Truist and Deutsche Bank analysts publicly stated expectations for HCA shares to rise, reinforcing the buy-side momentum. Truist Note Deutsche Bank Note
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and quality recognition — Multiple HCA hospitals placed on Healthgrades’ America’s 50/100/250 Best Hospitals lists, supporting reputation and referral flows. Healthgrades Recognition
• Positive Sentiment: Outpatient growth and M&A runway — Company commentary and industry pieces highlight HCA’s push into outpatient facilities and acquisition opportunities, which investors view as margin‑accretive growth. Outpatient Growth Acquisition Opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research notes/coverage — Zacks highlights HCA as a strong growth stock based on style scores, adding to favorable retail/institutional sentiment. Zacks Growth Stock Piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts say the narrative is shifting — Coverage explores how the investment story is evolving post‑earnings/target resets; watch valuation vs. growth expectations. Analyst Narrative
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion and competitive landscape — Reporting on new ER builds and regional facility activity (e.g., southwest Florida) that may influence local market share dynamics. Local ER Story Freestanding EDs
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/regulatory risk — HCA is publicly noting it is monitoring federal policy shifts that could affect reimbursement or operations; this is a watcher for downside risk. Policy Risk

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird upped 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $588.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Fifteen 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $518.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company 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.