HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock Holdings Lifted by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in HCA by 61.5% in Q4 to 6,836 shares, worth about $3.19 million, while institutional investors now own roughly 62.73% of the stock.
• HCA reported Q1 EPS of $7.15 (missing estimates by $0.04), reaffirmed FY2026 guidance of 29.10–31.50 EPS and expects 2%–3% volume growth, but several analysts trimmed price targets amid volume softness and payer‑mix/ACA headwinds.
• The company has filed a proposed public offering of senior notes and insiders have sold about 15,214 shares (~$7.8M) in the past 90 days, which could pressure near‑term credit metrics and raise questions about insider conviction.

Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 61.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,836 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,604 shares during the quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $3,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 82.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed FY2026 guidance and expects 2%–3% volume growth while acknowledging headwinds, which supports the company’s forward earnings outlook. HCA projects 2%-3% volume growth
• Positive Sentiment: HCA says improvements in its revenue‑cycle operations are boosting cash collections and helping offset rising denials/underpayments — a near‑term margin and cash‑flow positive. Revenue cycle paying dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership hire: Cynthia Cifuentes‑Finkel will become SVP of Marketing & Corporate Affairs (effective June 8), adding senior marketing/communications capacity ahead of growth initiatives. HCA names new SVP
• Neutral Sentiment: Local operations: a new HCA Florida Gainesville hospital is preparing to open next month — incremental local growth but limited immediate impact on enterprise results. Gainesville hospital opening
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary pieces and index signals are discussing healthcare positioning; useful for macro context but not company‑specific catalysts. Market update
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analysts reduced price targets and trimmed forecasts after Q1 results (despite an in‑line EPS), signaling more cautious near‑term sentiment. Firms lowering targets include Stephens, Oppenheimer, TD Cowen, Leerink, RBC and Truist. Analysts slash forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 dynamics: EPS roughly in‑line but seasonal volume softness, shifting payer mix and projected ACA/exchange pressures (company cites a $600M–$900M headwind range) are weighing on near‑term revenue and margin expectations. Q1 deep dive
• Negative Sentiment: Financing: HCA filed a proposed public offering of senior notes to raise proceeds for general corporate purposes (may include refinancing). New debt issuance could modestly pressure credit metrics depending on size and terms. Proposed senior notes offering

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $4,721,924.61. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Leerink Partners dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, March 27th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $593.00 to $534.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $523.09.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of HCA stock opened at $446.38 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $326.14 and a 12 month high of $556.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $503.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $486.01.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The firm had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.45 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.99%.

HCA Healthcare Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.