HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 29.100-31.500 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 29.540. The company issued revenue guidance of $76.5 billion-$80.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $79.2 billion.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $500.06 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $295.00 and a 12 month high of $520.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $480.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $434.98. The company has a market capitalization of $114.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 792.25% and a net margin of 8.53%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $431.00 to $452.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research lowered HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $488.75.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This represents a 52.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 55.7% during the third quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $196,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.