Sowell Financial Services LLC Raises Stock Holdings in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Sowell Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 171.1% in Q4, now owning 3,975 shares worth about $1.856 million.
• Multiple analysts (Jefferies, RBC, Barclays, Goldman Sachs) raised targets and ratings recently, leaving HCA with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $537.73.
• HCA beat Q4 EPS estimates ($8.01 vs. $7.37), reported 6.7% year‑over‑year revenue growth to $19.51 billion, and set FY2026 EPS guidance of $29.10–$31.50.

Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) by 171.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,975 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,509 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC's holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $1,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sovran Advisors LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the third quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company's stock worth $1,063,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the third quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 3.9% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 590 shares of the company's stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.4% in the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the company's stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, One Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the third quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the company's stock worth $959,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp set a $503.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $537.73.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.0%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $488.74 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $314.43 and a 52 week high of $556.52. The stock has a market cap of $109.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $511.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $480.20.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued 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 was Tuesday, March 17th. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. 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.

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