AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Purchases 95,181 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its HCA Healthcare stake by 201.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 95,181 additional shares to bring its total holdings to 142,372 shares worth about $66.5 million.
• HCA Healthcare reported Q1 earnings of $7.15 per share, slightly missing analysts’ expectations, while revenue of $19.11 billion came in roughly in line and rose 4.3% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share and received a generally positive analyst outlook, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $517.82.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 201.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 142,372 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 95,181 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.06% of HCA Healthcare worth $66,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HCA. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $432.99 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $330.00 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The stock has a market cap of $96.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $481.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $486.29.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The business had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current 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. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is presently 10.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $481.00 to $436.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $517.82.

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.

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