HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Given New $402.00 Price Target at Barclays

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price dropped by equities research analysts at Barclays from $427.00 to $402.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 5.79% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HCA. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday. Argus lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $486.14.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of HCA stock opened at $380.00 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $330.00 and a 52-week high of $556.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $394.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $458.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.30 billion, a PE ratio of 13.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The firm had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 29.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $1,262,513,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $374,037,000. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4,545.5% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 663,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,686,000 after purchasing an additional 649,058 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5,941.1% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 381,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,509,000 after purchasing an additional 375,119 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s preliminary second-quarter revenue came in above expectations, showing demand and volume remain solid despite the tougher operating backdrop.
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp kept an overweight rating on HCA Healthcare, even while lowering its price target, suggesting some analysts still see upside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: One bullish note argued the stock already reflects a lot of the bad news, including payer-mix weakness and policy pressure, which could limit additional downside if results stabilize.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market reports framed HCA as still trading at a discount versus historical valuations, which may matter for long-term investors but does not offset near-term earnings concerns.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA also announced preliminary second-quarter operating results and held an earnings call, giving investors fresh visibility into the company’s updated outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: HCA cut its 2026 EPS outlook to 28.7 to 30.5, below the prior consensus estimate, signaling that earnings growth may be slower than expected.
• Negative Sentiment: The company warned that more patients are going uninsured, which is hurting the payer mix and reducing profitability.
• Negative Sentiment: HCA said federal policy changes and Medicaid-related dynamics created a roughly $400 million headwind, and management warned these pressures could trim about $1 billion in profits.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts at Barclays and others downgraded or trimmed price targets after the outlook cut, reflecting concern that policy and reimbursement issues may continue to weigh on margins.

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.