HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake: Vanguard sold 178,502 HCA shares (a 1.2% reduction) and now owns 14,716,173 shares—about 6.45% of the company worth ~$6.87 billion, while institutional investors hold roughly 62.73% of the stock.
• Mixed Q1 results pressured the stock: Revenue rose 4.3% to $19.11 billion (slightly beating), but EPS of $7.15 missed estimates by $0.04 and FY26 guidance of $29.10–$31.50 landed a touch below consensus amid surgical volume softness and rising expenses that trimmed margins ~50 bps.
• Market view and corporate moves: Insiders sold about 15,214 shares (~$7.8M) last quarter, HCA declared a $0.78 quarterly dividend (0.7% yield), and analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target near $534.41.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,716,173 shares of the company's stock after selling 178,502 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 6.45% of HCA Healthcare worth $6,870,393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth about $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company's stock worth $1,334,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 56.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,328,000 after purchasing an additional 49,214 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and demand beat/strength: Q1 revenue rose ~4.3% to $19.11B and the company cited strong medical care demand; some outlets note the company beat profit estimates on service demand. HCA Healthcare beats quarterly profit estimates on medical care demand
• Positive Sentiment: Margins still meaningful: HCA reported a ~12% operating margin in Q1, showing underlying profitability despite a dynamic operating environment. HCA posts 12% operating margin in Q1: 8 things to know
• Neutral Sentiment: Official results and call: HCA reported EPS of $7.15 and released its earnings call transcript and press release (revenue in line with consensus). These documents give full context on volumes, mix and expense items for analysts. HCA Healthcare Reports First Quarter 2026 Results Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Volume weakness weighed heavily: Surgical volumes softened and total volumes missed seasonal expectations, which traders flagged as the main reason for the share decline despite a near-term beat on profits. HCA Healthcare stock plunges nearly 8% on weak volume trends despite Q1 beat
• Negative Sentiment: EPS/guidance miss vs. street: Reported EPS was roughly flat to estimates (small miss on some models) and FY26 guidance of $29.10–$31.50 EPS (and revenue range) sits slightly below consensus, prompting downward revisions. HCA Trading/Guidance Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Policy and longer-term growth concerns: Analysts warn policy headwinds (Medicaid/ACA subsidy rollbacks) may limit admissions growth to low single digits over coming years — a reason at least one shop trimmed upside and moved to Hold. Policy Pressures May Be Limiting Admissions (Upgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising expenses and margin retracement: Several reports cite higher expenses and a ~50 bps margin retracement in the quarter, which combined with volume softness amplifies near-term earnings risk. Q1 Earnings Miss on Rising Expenses

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $433.04 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $96.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $505.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $485.81. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $321.39 and a 52 week high of $556.52.

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 the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.15 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $529.00 to $561.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Leerink Partners upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $534.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total transaction of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. The trade was a 40.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,411,395. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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