HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Keeps “Buy” Rating at Truist Financial

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities research analysts at Truist Financial in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $510.00 price objective on the stock, up from their previous price objective of $495.00. Truist Financial‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.04% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on HCA. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $496.00 to $521.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $387.00 to $401.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $480.13.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of HCA traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $467.71. 258,649 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,340,521. The company has a market cap of $101.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $353.99 and a 52-week high of $556.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $438.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $444.84.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $19.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.96 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 30.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $5,069,974,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,707,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,835,397,000 after acquiring an additional 799,761 shares in the last quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 46.7% in the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,879,000 after acquiring an additional 350,000 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $410,992,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $371,138,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Growth investment in Cape Coral: HCA plans to build a roughly $300 million hospital in Cape Coral, Florida, with the city providing approximately $31 million in incentives. The facility could expand HCA’s capacity and support future revenue growth, although construction and ramp-up costs will precede the benefits. Cape Coral Lands $300M HCA Hospital, City Backs It With $31M in Incentives
• Positive Sentiment: Improved analyst expectations: KeyCorp issued a stronger EPS estimate for HCA, suggesting analysts see continued earnings momentum following the company’s recent quarterly earnings beat. HCA Healthcare Stock Gets Stronger EPS Estimate from KeyCorp
• Positive Sentiment: Higher price target: One analyst raised HCA’s price target to $521, implying meaningful upside relative to the reference price and providing support for the stock’s valuation. HCA Healthcare Price Target Raised to $521
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo remains cautious: Wells Fargo raised its target to $468 but maintained an “equal weight” rating, indicating the firm sees limited near-term upside at current levels. Wells Fargo HCA Healthcare rating
• Neutral Sentiment: New senior notes offering: An HCA subsidiary plans to issue senior notes. The financing may provide capital for operations, refinancing or expansion, but it also increases debt obligations and interest costs. HCA Healthcare launches fresh senior notes offering
• Negative Sentiment: Data breach disclosure: A cybersecurity incident reportedly affected about 55,000 people, creating potential costs, regulatory exposure and reputational risk. HCA data breach hits 55,000 people
• Negative Sentiment: Payer pressure: Reports warn that reimbursement and insurance-payer challenges could weigh on HCA’s 2027 outlook, potentially limiting margins and earnings growth. HCA Healthcare stock faces payer pressure ahead of 2027 outlook

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.