1,199 Shares in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Bought by Sterling Investment Counsel LLC

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $560,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $22,411,395. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $487.84 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $510.99 and a 200-day moving average of $484.17. The company has a market cap of $109.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $314.43 and a 1-year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $529.00 to $561.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. KeyCorp set a $503.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $537.36.

HCA Healthcare 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.