The Goldman Sachs Group Initiates Coverage on HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA)

Analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $470.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 11.80% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $438.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Bank of America increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $431.07.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $420.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $408.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $377.15. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $439.01. The firm has a market cap of $98.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.40.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.49 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 7,363.11% and a net margin of 8.21%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total transaction of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. This trade represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $1,021,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 17.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 737 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $999,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 14.9% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 833 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Savings Bank increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.