HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Lowered to $534.00 at Royal Bank Of Canada

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $593.00 to $534.00 in a research note published on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on HCA. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $546.00 to $535.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, March 27th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $523.09.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $446.38 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $503.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $486.01. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $326.14 and a 1 year high of $556.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The business had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.45 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 30.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 10.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 56.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,328,000 after purchasing an additional 49,214 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed FY2026 guidance and expects 2%–3% volume growth while acknowledging headwinds, which supports the company’s forward earnings outlook. HCA projects 2%-3% volume growth
• Positive Sentiment: HCA says improvements in its revenue‑cycle operations are boosting cash collections and helping offset rising denials/underpayments — a near‑term margin and cash‑flow positive. Revenue cycle paying dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership hire: Cynthia Cifuentes‑Finkel will become SVP of Marketing & Corporate Affairs (effective June 8), adding senior marketing/communications capacity ahead of growth initiatives. HCA names new SVP
• Neutral Sentiment: Local operations: a new HCA Florida Gainesville hospital is preparing to open next month — incremental local growth but limited immediate impact on enterprise results. Gainesville hospital opening
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary pieces and index signals are discussing healthcare positioning; useful for macro context but not company‑specific catalysts. Market update
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analysts reduced price targets and trimmed forecasts after Q1 results (despite an in‑line EPS), signaling more cautious near‑term sentiment. Firms lowering targets include Stephens, Oppenheimer, TD Cowen, Leerink, RBC and Truist. Analysts slash forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 dynamics: EPS roughly in‑line but seasonal volume softness, shifting payer mix and projected ACA/exchange pressures (company cites a $600M–$900M headwind range) are weighing on near‑term revenue and margin expectations. Q1 deep dive
• Negative Sentiment: Financing: HCA filed a proposed public offering of senior notes to raise proceeds for general corporate purposes (may include refinancing). New debt issuance could modestly pressure credit metrics depending on size and terms. Proposed senior notes offering

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.