Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Issues Positive Forecast for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target upped by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $500.00 to $558.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on HCA. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $505.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $431.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $512.43.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $491.40 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $481.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $436.28. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $295.00 and a one year high of $527.55.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 11.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,152,408,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,309,000 after purchasing an additional 896,437 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after buying an additional 690,773 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $109,337,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $115,530,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and strong underlying metrics — HCA reported EPS of $8.01 (well above estimates) driven by higher patient volumes and revenue per equivalent admission, a key near-term earnings catalyst. Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Big buyback and dividend increase support shareholder returns — Management added $10 billion to buybacks and raised the quarterly dividend ~8.3%, actions that tighten free float and boost EPS accretion expectations. Dividend/Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lift price targets and ratings — Several firms bumped targets (Jefferies to $590, Deutsche to $558, RBC to $555, Truist to $546) and reiterated buy/outperform views, providing additional upside signals for investors. Analyst Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 guidance is constructive but somewhat mixed — Management set FY2026 EPS of $29.10–31.50 (near consensus midpoint) and revenue $76.5B–$80.0B (vs. ~$79.2B consensus), leaving room for upside or downside depending on volumes and cost savings execution. Guidance Release
• Negative Sentiment: Policy headwinds could subtract materially from results — Management warned of a roughly $600M–$1B hit tied to ACA exchange and Medicaid changes (loss of certain tax credits), a tangible downside risk to 2026 cash flow. Policy Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin-risk commentary from some analysts — With a robust share rally over the past year, at least one note flagged that margin gains may be peaking and valuation is full, which could cap upside absent further operational beats. Analyst Caution

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.