HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $485.9474.

HCA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE HCA opened at $478.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $480.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $429.48. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $295.00 and a 1 year high of $520.00.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $1.32. The business had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.55 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. HCA Healthcare’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.90 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 697 shares of the company’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Clarus Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Clarus Wealth Advisors now owns 771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southland Equity Partners LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $201,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.