First Eagle Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• First Eagle Investment Management cut its HCA Healthcare stake by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 273,320 shares and leaving it with 3,646,152 shares valued at about $1.70 billion.
• HCA Healthcare reported quarterly EPS of $7.15, slightly below estimates, while revenue came in at $19.11 billion, modestly above expectations and up 4.3% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, payable June 30, and analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $517.82.

First Eagle Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,646,152 shares of the company's stock after selling 273,320 shares during the quarter. HCA Healthcare makes up approximately 3.0% of First Eagle Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned 1.60% of HCA Healthcare worth $1,702,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,113,662,000 after purchasing an additional 179,443 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.8% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,065,225 shares of the company's stock worth $880,199,000 after purchasing an additional 36,414 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company's stock worth $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company's stock worth $479,267,000 after acquiring an additional 8,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,100,929 shares of the company's stock worth $469,216,000 after acquiring an additional 11,829 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $426.58 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $487.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $486.55. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $330.00 and a 52-week high of $556.52. The stock has a market cap of $94.63 billion, a PE ratio of 14.67, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.18.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.45 earnings per share. The business's quarterly 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. Analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 10.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HCA shares. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $546.00 to $535.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $481.00 to $436.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Leerink Partners cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Argus cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $517.82.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total value of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 13,714 shares of company stock valued at $7,050,460 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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