HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $555.00

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price upped by Royal Bank Of Canada from $525.00 to $555.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Stephens boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $505.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.76.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of HCA opened at $488.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $111.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $481.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $437.35. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $295.00 and a 1-year high of $527.55.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare’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. As a group, research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 10.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HCA. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Key HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly results and market reaction — HCA reported an EPS beat and raised FY 2026 guidance, prompting coverage noting a gap up in the stock after the print. Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts boost targets and maintain bullish ratings — Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $558 (buy) and Leerink Partners increased its target to $573 (outperform), supporting further upside potential. Goldman Sachs Raises PT Leerink Raises PT TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: Additional bullish analyst commentary — Truist and Deutsche Bank analysts publicly stated expectations for HCA shares to rise, reinforcing the buy-side momentum. Truist Note Deutsche Bank Note
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and quality recognition — Multiple HCA hospitals placed on Healthgrades’ America’s 50/100/250 Best Hospitals lists, supporting reputation and referral flows. Healthgrades Recognition
• Positive Sentiment: Outpatient growth and M&A runway — Company commentary and industry pieces highlight HCA’s push into outpatient facilities and acquisition opportunities, which investors view as margin‑accretive growth. Outpatient Growth Acquisition Opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research notes/coverage — Zacks highlights HCA as a strong growth stock based on style scores, adding to favorable retail/institutional sentiment. Zacks Growth Stock Piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts say the narrative is shifting — Coverage explores how the investment story is evolving post‑earnings/target resets; watch valuation vs. growth expectations. Analyst Narrative
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion and competitive landscape — Reporting on new ER builds and regional facility activity (e.g., southwest Florida) that may influence local market share dynamics. Local ER Story Freestanding EDs
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/regulatory risk — HCA is publicly noting it is monitoring federal policy shifts that could affect reimbursement or operations; this is a watcher for downside risk. Policy Risk

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.