Stance Capital LLC Invests $1.41 Million in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Key Points

• Stance Capital LLC opened a new position in HCA Healthcare in Q3, buying 3,311 shares valued at about $1.41 million.
• HCA reported quarterly EPS of $8.01, beating estimates, and set FY2026 guidance of 29.10–31.50 EPS, with analysts holding a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average target of $537.73.
• HCA raised its quarterly dividend to $0.78 (annualized $3.12, ~0.6% yield), while insiders were net sellers last quarter (15,214 shares sold, about $7.8M), leaving insiders owning 1.3% of the stock.

Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,411,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 82.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Compound Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of HCA stock opened at $510.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $508.54 and a 200-day moving average of $472.06. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $314.43 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The stock has a market cap of $114.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.98, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.34.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is currently 10.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HCA. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. KeyCorp set a $503.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $537.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 8,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of HCA Healthcare 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 owned 30,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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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