Sterling Capital Management LLC Lowers Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Sterling Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 26.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,687 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,794 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $10,263,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 56.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,328,000 after purchasing an additional 49,214 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $593.00 to $534.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Fifteen research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $503.00.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.3%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $391.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.12. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $330.00 and a 12-month high of $556.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $408.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $465.33.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.73%.

HCA Healthcare 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.