HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $521.5455.

HCA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $501.89 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $114.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $295.00 and a fifty-two week high of $527.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $479.97 and a 200 day moving average of $443.35.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.15%.

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.