HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA Stock Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. cut its HCA Healthcare stake by 5% in the third quarter, selling 5,324 shares and retaining 100,808 shares valued at about $43.2 million.
• Institutional investors showed mixed activity, with some adding or opening positions; together, institutions and hedge funds own 62.73% of HCA stock.
• HCA beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $7.22 versus $6.65 expected and revenue of $19.85 billion, up 3.6% year over year. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy.”

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 5.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,808 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,324 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $43,176,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors have welcomed expectations that a Democratic-controlled Congress could provide a policy tailwind for hospitals. However, the anticipated relief is not yet enacted and still depends on legislative and funding steps. HCA Healthcare Gains Policy Tailwind
• Positive Sentiment: HCA is expanding AI tools, with its nurse handoff technology heading to 100 hospitals and ambient AI expected to reach 10,000 physicians by year-end. These deployments could support workflow efficiency. AI nurse handoff tool
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and technical coverage is supportive: Truist reaffirmed its Buy rating, while Zacks highlighted earnings growth, price strength and a bullish moving-average signal. Truist reaffirms Buy rating Zacks stock outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA completed a $6.5 billion senior notes offering. The report confirms the financing but gives limited detail on its use or effect on borrowing costs. Senior notes offering
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA’s AI chief emphasized that delaying a rollout can be appropriate, suggesting a measured approach that may limit near-term adoption while managing implementation risks. HCA AI rollout strategy
• Negative Sentiment: One report flagged potential payer pressure in HCA’s 2027 outlook, a concern for future hospital reimbursement and margins. Payer pressure outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said it is investigating investor claims involving HCA. The announcement provides no findings, but the inquiry may create a legal overhang. Investor investigation announcement

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 2.6%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $494.44 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $103.28 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.11. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $353.99 and a 12-month high of $556.52. The business's 50-day moving average price is $443.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $445.25.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. The business had revenue of $19.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.96 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.15 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Jon Foster sold 21,713 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.95, for a total transaction of $10,746,849.35. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,949,500. This trade represents a 68.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael J. Schlosser sold 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.65, for a total value of $593,580.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at $713,779.95. This represents a 45.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 32,913 shares of company stock valued at $16,481,129 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, July 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $510.00 price target (up from $495.00) on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $480.13.

HCA Healthcare Profile

HCA Healthcare is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals and other care facilities. Its services include inpatient and outpatient care, emergency treatment, surgery, diagnostic services and specialized care across areas such as cancer and cardiovascular medicine.

The company serves patients in the United States and the United Kingdom through its network of hospitals and outpatient facilities, including surgery centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices.

Founded in 1968, HCA Healthcare is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

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