Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price raised by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $535.00 to $590.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.44% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $512.43.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded down $15.97 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $489.87. The stock had a trading volume of 1,130,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,117,369. HCA Healthcare has a 52 week low of $295.00 and a 52 week high of $527.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $480.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $435.90. The company has a market capitalization of $111.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HCA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,152,408,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,309,000 after acquiring an additional 896,437 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $109,337,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $115,530,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted price targets and maintained buy/outperform ratings — RBC raised its target to $555, Deutsche Bank to $558 and Truist to $546, reinforcing upside expectations. RBC price target raise Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns stepped up — management added $10B to the buyback program and raised the quarterly dividend ~8.3%, a strong capital-allocation cue supporting EPS and cash-return expectations. Dividend and buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat and constructive 2026 outlook — Q4 EPS $8.01 topped estimates and the company issued FY26 EPS guidance of $29.10–31.50 with revenue guidance of $76.5B–$80B and a $400M cost-savings plan. Management framed demand and cost initiatives as supportive of profit. Q4 results & guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations — Q4 revenue was $19.51B versus estimates near $19.67B, suggesting mix or volume/reimbursement nuances despite the EPS beat. Earnings details
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk could reduce 2026 results — management flagged a multi-hundred-million-dollar hit from loss of ACA tax credits and Medicaid changes (reported estimates $600M–$1B), which increases uncertainty around margin and cash flow. Policy headwinds/StatNews FierceHealthcare coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin risk concerns — some analysts/commentary warn that margin gains may be peaking and current valuation already reflects much of the upside, leaving the stock exposed if policy or margin pressures materialize. Seeking Alpha risk analysis

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.