Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 3,755 Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group slightly reduced its HCA Healthcare stake in the first quarter, selling 3,755 shares and leaving it with 597,377 shares valued at about $282.7 million.
• HCA’s recent operating results were mixed: revenue topped expectations, but the company missed on quarterly EPS and lowered full-year earnings guidance, citing margin pressure, payer mix shifts, and more uninsured patients.
• Despite the earnings concerns, institutional ownership remains high at 62.73%, and analysts still hold a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” though several recently trimmed price targets.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 597,377 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,755 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.27% of HCA Healthcare worth $282,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

More HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: HCA said preliminary second-quarter revenue came in above Wall Street expectations, suggesting demand and patient volumes remained solid enough to support top-line growth. Reuters: HCA reports preliminary quarterly revenue above expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp lowered its price target to $475 from $510 but kept an overweight rating, while Wells Fargo trimmed its target to $428 and maintained an equal weight rating, signaling some caution but not a full bearish call. Benzinga: Analyst updates on HCA Healthcare
• Negative Sentiment: HCA reduced its full-year EPS guidance to 28.7 to 30.5, below consensus, indicating margin pressure and a softer profit outlook for the rest of the year.
• Negative Sentiment: Management cited payer mix shifts tied to health insurance exchanges, along with rising uninsured patients and declining surgeries, as factors squeezing quarterly earnings and hurting expectations. WSJ: HCA Healthcare shares drop after quarterly earnings squeezed by payer mix shifts
• Negative Sentiment: Barron’s reported that the stock fell after the company lowered its outlook, reinforcing investor concern that the strong revenue trend may not translate into comparable profit growth. Barrons: HCA Healthcare Stock Falls as Uninsured Patients and Declining Surgeries Dent Outlook

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 6.7%

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $364.46 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $330.00 and a 12-month high of $556.52. The company's 50 day moving average price is $395.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $458.95. The firm has a market cap of $80.85 billion, a PE ratio of 12.53, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.12.

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

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HCA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $496.00 to $427.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Argus cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Leerink Partners cut their price target on HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $491.77.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HCA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report).

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.