HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $558.00

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target hoisted by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $500.00 to $558.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Stephens upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $482.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, October 27th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.76.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 1.2%

HCA stock opened at $488.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $111.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.36. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $481.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $437.35. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $295.00 and a 12-month high of $527.55.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,113,662,000 after purchasing an additional 179,443 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth approximately $1,152,408,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,065,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $880,199,000 after acquiring an additional 36,414 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,267,000 after purchasing an additional 8,478 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly results and market reaction — HCA reported an EPS beat and raised FY 2026 guidance, prompting coverage noting a gap up in the stock after the print. Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts boost targets and maintain bullish ratings — Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $558 (buy) and Leerink Partners increased its target to $573 (outperform), supporting further upside potential. Goldman Sachs Raises PT Leerink Raises PT TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: Additional bullish analyst commentary — Truist and Deutsche Bank analysts publicly stated expectations for HCA shares to rise, reinforcing the buy-side momentum. Truist Note Deutsche Bank Note
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and quality recognition — Multiple HCA hospitals placed on Healthgrades’ America’s 50/100/250 Best Hospitals lists, supporting reputation and referral flows. Healthgrades Recognition
• Positive Sentiment: Outpatient growth and M&A runway — Company commentary and industry pieces highlight HCA’s push into outpatient facilities and acquisition opportunities, which investors view as margin‑accretive growth. Outpatient Growth Acquisition Opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research notes/coverage — Zacks highlights HCA as a strong growth stock based on style scores, adding to favorable retail/institutional sentiment. Zacks Growth Stock Piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts say the narrative is shifting — Coverage explores how the investment story is evolving post‑earnings/target resets; watch valuation vs. growth expectations. Analyst Narrative
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion and competitive landscape — Reporting on new ER builds and regional facility activity (e.g., southwest Florida) that may influence local market share dynamics. Local ER Story Freestanding EDs
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/regulatory risk — HCA is publicly noting it is monitoring federal policy shifts that could affect reimbursement or operations; this is a watcher for downside risk. Policy Risk

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.