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

Sterling Capital Management LLC lowered its position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 26.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,687 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,794 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $10,263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.3%

HCA opened at $391.96 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a twelve month low of $330.00 and a twelve 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.48, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). The company 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Truist Financial set a $413.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $503.00.

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.