HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

HCA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Zacks Research lowered HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 27th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Mizuho set a $540.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $523.27.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $539.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $120.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $482.80 and a 200-day moving average of $448.23. HCA Healthcare has a 52 week low of $295.00 and a 52 week high of $552.90.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% 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 Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,520 shares of company stock valued at $6,894,067. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 82.9% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s share performance is strong on a year‑over‑year basis (shares up ~75% YoY), reinforcing momentum and investor confidence in the company’s results and outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other analysts highlight earnings growth and price strength; Zacks added HCA to focus coverage and raised FY‑2026 EPS estimates, supporting forward earnings momentum and valuation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: HCA raised its quarterly dividend (new quarterly payout announced), which narrows yield risk and is a modest positive for income‑oriented investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional flows and stake increases (e.g., Norges Bank, Pacer, Viking Global) point to strong institutional demand and provide technical/supportive buying pressure for the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA completed a 43‑hospital EHR rollout and is tracking success metrics — operational execution that can improve efficiency and integration over time but has a gradual, not immediate, earnings impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion moves — HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball acquired Supreme Care ER and StoneSprings plans a freestanding ER conversion — small, market‑level capacity adds that could modestly lift volumes in those geographies. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA sold ASC real estate — a financing/portfolio move that could free capital or change lease terms; impact depends on transaction use of proceeds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: two senior VPs disclosed multi‑million dollar sales (Christopher Wyatt sold ~$2.0M; Jennifer Berres sold ~$4.13M). Significant insider sales can create short‑term selling pressure or raise governance/portfolio‑rebalancing questions. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks/other outlets flagged a downward revision to HCA’s Q1 EPS forecast, which can pressure near‑term expectations even as FY estimates were raised. Read More.

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.