HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Receives $537.73 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $537.7273.

A number of brokerages recently commented on HCA. Argus lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $494.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $541.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $472.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $105.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $511.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $477.42. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $314.43 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.22 EPS. The business’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, sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is 10.99%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 44,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 2,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the third quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.