New York State Common Retirement Fund Reduces Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its position in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 3.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 305,848 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,554 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $130,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $745,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.5% in the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,606,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $491.40 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $481.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $436.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.99, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12 month low of $295.00 and a 12 month high of $527.55.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.22 EPS. The firm’s 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.13%.

Key HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — HCA reported EPS of $8.01 vs. street estimates (~$7.36–7.46), driven by stronger patient volumes and higher revenue per admission; the print and commentary drove initial upside. Earnings & Guidance Release
• Positive Sentiment: Large buyback announced — HCA added $10 billion to its share repurchase program, signaling strong free cash flow and a meaningful capital-return commitment that supports the stock price. Buyback Report
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — HCA raised its quarterly dividend by 8.3% to $0.78, reinforcing shareholder returns alongside the buyback. Dividend & Buyback Article
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst price-target upgrades — Jefferies, RBC, Deutsche Bank and Truist raised targets (to $590, $555, $558 and $546 respectively) and maintained buy/outperform views, adding upward pressure on the share price. Analyst Upgrades (example)
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 guidance mixed — HCA set FY2026 EPS guidance of $29.10–$31.50 (around consensus) and revenue guidance of $76.5B–$80.0B (slightly wide and modestly below some estimates), leaving some uncertainty about growth cadence despite the bullish tone. Guidance Release
• Negative Sentiment: Policy headwinds could hit results — HCA flagged exposure to ACA exchange and Medicaid changes that management estimates could reduce revenue by roughly $600M–$1B in 2026, a material offset to benefits from buybacks and margin initiatives. Policy Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/margin risk noted by some analysts — After a strong run, some commentators warn margins may be peaking and that the stock’s valuation now factors in much of the buyback/margin upside, leaving downside if policy or margin compression materializes. Valuation/Risk Analysis

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on HCA. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. KeyCorp set a $503.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $505.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $512.43.

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.