Leerink Partnrs Boosts Earnings Estimates for HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Investment analysts at Leerink Partnrs raised their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for HCA Healthcare in a report released on Monday, October 28th. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now expects that the company will post earnings of $6.08 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $6.04. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $22.48 per share.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on HCA. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $427.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.11.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of HCA stock opened at $356.63 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $394.71 and its 200-day moving average is $352.94. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $222.23 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The stock has a market cap of $93.41 billion, a PE ratio of 17.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.06.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 13.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total value of $3,221,340.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total transaction of $1,085,804.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,454 shares in the company, valued at $3,436,623.54. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at $231,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 51.2% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,543,000 after acquiring an additional 2,584 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 54.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,910 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,639,000 after purchasing an additional 4,893 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at approximately $95,882,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 225,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,335,000 after buying an additional 3,516 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.