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

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $534.50.

HCA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen cut HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at $22,411,395. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 in the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 82.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $534.93 on Friday. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $310.18 and a one year high of $552.90. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $499.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $464.00. The company has a market capitalization of $119.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.34.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.15%.

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.