HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on HCA. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $387.00 to $401.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $475.70.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $472.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $98.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $437.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $444.90. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $353.99 and a 1 year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. The business had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.96 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 30.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.1% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $911,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 29.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 24.0% during the 3rd quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 99,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,524,000 after buying an additional 3,050 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.8% in the third quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 26,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,632,000 after buying an additional 1,480 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

More HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its HCA price target from $496 to $521 and reaffirmed an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 10% upside from the referenced trading level. Royal Bank of Canada analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen increased its price target for HCA Healthcare, adding to the series of favorable analyst revisions following the company’s latest results. TD Cowen price target article
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp also boosted its HCA price target, reinforcing Wall Street’s constructive view of the hospital operator. KeyCorp price target article
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its target as well, suggesting analysts see further value after HCA’s quarterly earnings beat. Robert W. Baird price target article
• Positive Sentiment: HCA said 102 hospitals received Healthgrades recognition for specialty-care excellence, potentially supporting the company’s reputation, patient demand and competitive positioning. Healthgrades recognition announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA HealthONE agreed to pay $14.5 million for a Wheat Ridge retail center and plans to develop a medical park. The project could expand local capacity, but its financial contribution and execution timeline remain uncertain. Wheat Ridge medical park article
• Neutral Sentiment: A St. David’s HealthCare CEO plans to retire in March, creating a leadership transition within an HCA-affiliated system. St. David’s CEO retirement article
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of HCA investors. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but adds legal and headline risk that can pressure the stock. Pomerantz investor investigation announcement

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency care facilities, physician practices and other healthcare sites. Its facilities provide a broad range of services, including acute and emergency care, surgery, cardiology, oncology, women’s and children’s services, behavioral health and outpatient care.

The company serves patients primarily across the United States through a network of healthcare facilities in numerous states.