FY2026 EPS Forecast for HCA Healthcare Boosted by Analyst

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $29.31 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $28.47. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $24.98 per share.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS.

HCA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $503.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $523.27.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $539.91 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $295.00 and a 1 year high of $552.90. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $482.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $448.23. The company has a market capitalization of $120.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. 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. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.99%.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total value of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,520 shares of company stock worth $6,894,067. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 13.1% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,719,000 after acquiring an additional 5,092 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.3% in the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,115,000 after purchasing an additional 23,100 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 37.7% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Cherokee Insurance Co purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,869,000. Finally, Sector Gamma AS lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 10,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,638,000 after acquiring an additional 2,883 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare News Summary

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.