HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management cut its stake in HCA by 7.5%, selling 9,104 shares and leaving it with 112,697 shares worth about $48.0 million, while other institutions added or initiated positions and institutional ownership stands at 62.73%.
• Insiders sold 15,214 shares over the past 90 days (roughly $7.8 million), including notable sales by EVP Michael R. McAlevey and SVP Jennifer Berres, materially reducing their holdings.
• HCA beat quarterly EPS estimates ($8.01 vs. $7.37) but slightly missed revenue expectations, provided FY2026 EPS guidance of 29.10–31.50, increased its quarterly dividend to $0.78, and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" from analysts with an average target of $534.50.

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 112,697 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,104 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $48,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HCA. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $6,393,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company's stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.8% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 111 Capital acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $375,000. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 14,594 shares of the company's stock worth $6,220,000 after buying an additional 2,351 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,721,924.61. This 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 through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the firm'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 directly owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on HCA shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered HCA Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $534.50.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and research upgrades: several outlets and analysts continue to rate HCA favorably — one consensus snapshot called the stock a "Moderate Buy," reflecting continued analyst confidence that HCA can grow earnings and return capital to shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term demographic bull case: MarketBeat argues HCA is a likely beneficiary of U.S. aging demographics, noting management's strong guidance (FY2026 EPS and EBITDA ranges), expanded capex, a $10B repurchase authorization and a raised dividend — all supportive of long‑term growth and shareholder returns. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate tweaks from Zacks: Zacks Research nudged near‑term EPS estimates slightly higher for Q2, Q3 and Q4 2026 and raised FY2026 to $29.63, which supports the earnings outlook, but it kept a "Hold" rating — a modest positive but not a strong endorsement. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ view is mixed farther out: while FY2026 estimates were lifted, Zacks trimmed its FY2028 EPS forecast modestly — a sign analysts see near‑term strength but some uncertainty on longer‑term margin expansion. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/industry headlines are mixed and mostly non‑company specific: a local hospital (Manchester’s Catholic Medical Center) plans to end outpatient mental‑health services and a leadership hire at Methodist Healthcare were reported — signals about regional capacity and staffing but with limited direct impact on HCA’s large national footprint. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term policy and revenue risks remain prominent: recent company commentary and market writeups note revenue growth was slightly below expectations in the prior quarter and management flagged $600–$900M of potential EBITDA headwinds from insurance‑exchange changes plus state supplemental payment declines — factors that could cap near‑term upside despite strong EPS. Article Title

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $533.63 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52-week low of $310.18 and a 52-week high of $552.90. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $500.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $465.40. The firm has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.99%.

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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