KBC Group NV Cuts Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• KBC Group NV trimmed its stake in HCA by 7.1% in Q4, selling 29,487 shares and ending with 384,421 shares valued at about $179.47 million.
• Insiders sold a total of 15,214 shares (~$7.8 million) in the past three months — including sales by SVP Christopher Wyatt and EVP Michael McAlevey — with corporate insiders now owning 1.50% of the company.
• HCA beat Q results (EPS $8.01 vs. $7.37 expected), reported revenue up 6.7% YoY, set FY2026 guidance of 29.10–31.50 EPS, raised the quarterly dividend to $0.78 ($3.12 annual), and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $537.36.

KBC Group NV reduced its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 384,421 shares of the company's stock after selling 29,487 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.17% of HCA Healthcare worth $179,471,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 34 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at $4,721,924.61. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $489.00 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $511.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $483.30. The stock has a market cap of $109.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $314.43 and a 1-year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.HCA Healthcare's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 10.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $529.00 to $561.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $537.36.

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.

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