HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock: Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Lowers Holdings

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management reduced its HCA Healthcare stake by 17.3% in the third quarter, selling 3,362 shares and retaining 16,059 shares worth approximately $6.85 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.73% of the company.
• HCA reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $7.22 per share and revenue of $19.85 billion, surpassing analyst estimates; revenue rose 3.6% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $474 price target, while risks include potential flat 2027 earnings, declining Medicaid payments, higher uninsured-patient costs, and a 5.4% decline in ambulatory surgery-center volume.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lowered its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 17.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,059 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,362 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $6,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,069,974,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $410,992,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $371,138,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 20.5% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company's stock worth $1,835,397,000 after buying an additional 799,761 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $238,457,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on HCA. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $369.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded HCA Healthcare from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $393.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $495.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $474.00.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 2.9%

HCA stock opened at $463.10 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $100.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $353.99 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The business's 50 day moving average is $434.70 and its 200-day moving average is $444.88.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%. The business had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.96 EPS. HCA Healthcare's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.51 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

Key HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: HCA reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $7.22 per share and revenue of $19.85 billion, exceeding Wall Street estimates of $6.65 per share and $19.33 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 3.6% year over year, supported by higher admissions and emergency-room visits. HCA Healthcare beats quarterly profit estimates on demand for medical services
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target from $460 to $486 and assigned a “buy” rating, while KeyCorp increased its target from $435 to $490 and upgraded its view to “overweight.” The revisions suggest analysts see upside after the earnings report. TD Cowen recommendations KeyCorp recommendations
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, equivalent to $3.12 annually and a 0.7% indicated yield, reinforcing shareholder returns.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA remains one of the largest U.S. health systems by net patient revenue, underscoring its scale and market presence. 10 largest health systems by net patient revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were unsettled by management’s signal that 2027 earnings could be broadly flat, partly because of declining Medicaid payments. HCA also expects a roughly $400 million impact from rising uninsured patients, while payer-mix pressure and higher costs weigh on margins.
• Negative Sentiment: Some operating trends were softer: ambulatory surgery-center volume declined 5.4%, and fewer surgeries tempered otherwise strong admission growth. Baird raised its target to $409 but maintained a “neutral” rating, implying a valuation risk at current levels. HCA earnings reveal 5.4% ASC volume drop

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency care facilities, physician practices and other healthcare sites. Its facilities provide a broad range of services, including acute and emergency care, surgery, cardiology, oncology, women's and children's services, behavioral health and outpatient care.

The company serves patients primarily across the United States through a network of healthcare facilities in numerous states.

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