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

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $506.1364.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HCA shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Truist Financial set a $413.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $593.00 to $534.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Argus lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $387.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $85.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.32, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.12. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $330.00 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $429.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $473.48.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The company’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.45 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.73%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,566,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,532,563,000 after purchasing an additional 76,039 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,999,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,334,040,000 after purchasing an additional 40,086 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,663,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,702,738,000 after purchasing an additional 13,565 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth $1,262,513,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,311,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,078,966,000 after purchasing an additional 245,887 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.