HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Receives $537.73 Average PT from Analysts

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $537.7273.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, March 27th. Argus boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 2.5%

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $483.41 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $511.38 and a 200 day moving average of $479.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $314.43 and a 12-month high of $556.52.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.99%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the company’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 transaction of $903,528.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,721,924.61. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% 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.