Ethic Inc. Buys 5,781 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its HCA Healthcare stake by 35% in the fourth quarter, buying 5,781 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 22,310 shares valued at about $10.4 million.
• HCA reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings per share of $7.15 missing estimates by $0.04 while revenue of $19.11 billion slightly topped expectations and rose 4.3% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on HCA, with 16 Buy ratings and an average target price of $517.82, even as several firms trimmed their price targets; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share.

Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 35.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,310 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,781 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $10,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $434.58 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $491.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $486.57. The company has a market capitalization of $96.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.18. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $330.00 and a 12 month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The firm's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.45 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is 10.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on HCA. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $517.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,411,395. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the 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 $4,721,924.61. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,714 shares of company stock valued at $7,050,460. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

More HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $29.82 from $29.63, suggesting confidence in HCA’s near-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: The analyst firm also lifted its Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $7.27 from $7.21 and Q3 2026 EPS to $7.23 from $7.11, indicating improving expectations for the current year.
• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s earnings outlook remains solid versus the broader consensus of $30.05 per share for the current full year, which helps support investor confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA continues to receive attention for operational and community-related headlines, including coverage of its pay/perks, uncompensated care, and community outreach issues, but these items do not appear to be immediate market-moving catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered several longer-term estimates, including FY2027 EPS to $32.32 from $33.18, FY2028 EPS to $36.61 from $37.40, and multiple quarterly forecasts for 2027, which could pressure sentiment around future growth.

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.

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