Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Acquires 649,058 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management massively increased its HCA Healthcare stake in the fourth quarter, buying 649,058 shares and lifting its holdings to 663,337 shares valued at about $309.7 million.
• HCA Healthcare’s stock was down 2.3% to $422.68, and the company reported quarterly earnings of $7.15 per share, slightly below analyst expectations, while revenue came in just above estimates at $19.11 billion.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock despite some lower price targets, with 16 Buy ratings and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy; HCA also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 4,545.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 663,337 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 649,058 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.29% of HCA Healthcare worth $309,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company's stock worth $2,113,662,000 after buying an additional 179,443 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,065,225 shares of the company's stock worth $880,199,000 after buying an additional 36,414 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company's stock worth $717,214,000 after buying an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company's stock worth $479,267,000 after buying an additional 8,478 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,100,929 shares of the company's stock worth $469,216,000 after buying an additional 11,829 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $546.00 to $535.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Argus cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $517.82.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $422.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $478.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $485.84. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $330.00 and a 12-month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is currently 10.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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