HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Given New $560.00 Price Target at Argus

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price upped by Argus from $530.00 to $560.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 27th. Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, October 27th. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $521.55.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $501.89 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $479.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $442.08. The company has a market capitalization of $114.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $295.00 and a fifty-two week high of $527.55.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced 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 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,719,000 after buying an additional 5,092 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 4.3% in the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,115,000 after purchasing an additional 23,100 shares during the period. Cherokee Insurance Co acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,869,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2,855.2% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 5,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,557,000 after acquiring an additional 5,796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 626,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,051,000 after acquiring an additional 17,531 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.