HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Argus Analyst Says

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at Argus from $530.00 to $560.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Argus’ target price indicates a potential upside of 11.58% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on HCA. Wall Street Zen upgraded HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Stephens raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $521.55.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $501.89 on Friday. HCA Healthcare has a twelve month low of $295.00 and a twelve month high of $527.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $479.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $442.72. The firm has a market cap of $114.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the business’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 transaction of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 13.1% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,719,000 after acquiring an additional 5,092 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.3% during the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,115,000 after purchasing an additional 23,100 shares in the last quarter. Cherokee Insurance Co purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,869,000. Sector Gamma AS increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 36.0% during the third quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 10,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,638,000 after purchasing an additional 2,883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2,855.2% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 5,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,557,000 after purchasing an additional 5,796 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.