HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $479.00.

A number of research firms have issued reports on HCA. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $417.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, October 27th. Wall Street Zen raised HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $465.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $472.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $107.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $470.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $417.03. HCA Healthcare has a 52 week low of $289.98 and a 52 week high of $520.00.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The company had revenue of $19.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.90 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 11.13%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sovran Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,063,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.4% during the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, One Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $959,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.