Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note issued on Wednesday, March 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $7.11 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $6.93. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $24.98 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q1 2027 earnings at $7.86 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $8.16 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.93 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $9.23 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $33.18 EPS.

HCA has been the topic of several other research reports. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.50.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 0.2%

HCA stock opened at $533.63 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $500.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $465.79. The firm has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare has a twelve month low of $310.18 and a twelve month high of $552.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,719,000 after buying an additional 5,092 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 23,100 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 37.7% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Sector Gamma AS raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 10,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,638,000 after buying an additional 2,883 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.9% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 626,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,051,000 after acquiring an additional 17,531 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key HCA Healthcare News

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and research upgrades: several outlets and analysts continue to rate HCA favorably — one consensus snapshot called the stock a “Moderate Buy,” reflecting continued analyst confidence that HCA can grow earnings and return capital to shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term demographic bull case: MarketBeat argues HCA is a likely beneficiary of U.S. aging demographics, noting management’s strong guidance (FY2026 EPS and EBITDA ranges), expanded capex, a $10B repurchase authorization and a raised dividend — all supportive of long‑term growth and shareholder returns. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate tweaks from Zacks: Zacks Research nudged near‑term EPS estimates slightly higher for Q2, Q3 and Q4 2026 and raised FY2026 to $29.63, which supports the earnings outlook, but it kept a “Hold” rating — a modest positive but not a strong endorsement. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ view is mixed farther out: while FY2026 estimates were lifted, Zacks trimmed its FY2028 EPS forecast modestly — a sign analysts see near‑term strength but some uncertainty on longer‑term margin expansion. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/industry headlines are mixed and mostly non‑company specific: a local hospital (Manchester’s Catholic Medical Center) plans to end outpatient mental‑health services and a leadership hire at Methodist Healthcare were reported — signals about regional capacity and staffing but with limited direct impact on HCA’s large national footprint. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term policy and revenue risks remain prominent: recent company commentary and market writeups note revenue growth was slightly below expectations in the prior quarter and management flagged $600–$900M of potential EBITDA headwinds from insurance‑exchange changes plus state supplemental payment declines — factors that could cap near‑term upside despite strong EPS. Article Title

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.