HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Hound Partners LLC

Key Points

• Hound Partners LLC cut its stake in HCA Healthcare by 42.6%, selling 13,567 shares and leaving it with 18,265 shares worth about $7.79 million (HCA is 1.0% of the firm's portfolio).
• HCA reported quarterly $8.01 EPS, beating estimates while revenue of $19.51 billion was slightly below consensus, and issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 29.10–31.50.
• Company insiders sold 15,214 shares (about $7.8 million) over the last three months, and HCA raised its quarterly dividend to $0.78 ($3.12 annual, ~0.6% yield).

Hound Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,265 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,567 shares during the period. HCA Healthcare makes up 1.0% of Hound Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Hound Partners LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $7,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 3.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company's stock worth $2,113,662,000 after buying an additional 179,443 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth $1,152,408,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.8% during 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 boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in 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 period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company's stock worth $479,267,000 after buying an additional 8,478 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $533.39 on Monday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1 year low of $313.21 and a 1 year high of $556.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $507.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $470.48. The firm has a market cap of $119.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The company had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.22 EPS. The business's quarterly 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is 10.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HCA. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $537.73.

About HCA Healthcare

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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