HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.64 EPS

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64, Zacks reports. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 792.25% and a net margin of 8.53%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare updated its FY 2026 guidance to 29.100-31.500 EPS.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $514.11 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $295.00 and a one year high of $520.00. The company has a market capitalization of $117.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.73, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $480.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $434.98.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value 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. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 56.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,328,000 after acquiring an additional 49,214 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — HCA reported $8.01 EPS vs. consensus ~ $7.36, up from $6.22 a year ago, showing solid operating leverage and margin improvement that investors reward. HCA Healthcare (HCA) Beats Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management says 2026 profit should come in above Wall Street estimates, citing robust demand for medical services and expectations for lower costs — a forward-looking comment that supports multiple expansion and confidence in cash flow. HCA Healthcare forecasts 2026 profit above estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY?2026 EPS guidance of $29.10–$31.50 (consensus ~ $29.54) implies meaningful upside at the top of the range and supports the street’s forward estimates — guidance detail is in the company release. View Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue guidance range of $76.5B–$80.0B vs. consensus ~$79.2B — the midpoint is close to expectations, but the wide band creates some uncertainty around growth cadence for the year. View Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 revenue rose about 6.7% year-over-year — healthy top-line growth but less attention-grabbing than the EPS beat and margin commentary. View Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Reported a highly unusual negative return on equity figure (?792.25%), a red flag for some investors who will dig into one?time items, capital-structure effects or accounting drivers behind that metric. This could prompt volatility until investors get clarity. View Press Release

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, October 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $488.75.

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.