Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 60,967 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Posted by Brian Himes on Jun 9th, 2026

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA – Free Report) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,234,371 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 60,967 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $576,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,262,513,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $374,037,000. Viking Global Investors LP grew its holdings 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 last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 4,545.5% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 663,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,686,000 after purchasing an additional 649,058 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth about $115,530,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $506.14.

View Our Latest Analysis on HCA

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of HCA opened at $360.99 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $330.00 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.41, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $437.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $476.37.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA – Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. 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 firm posted $6.45 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.73%.

About HCA Healthcare

(Free Report)

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.