Zacks Research Expects Weaker Earnings for HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for HCA Healthcare in a research note issued to investors on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $6.79 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $7.23. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $29.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q4 2026 earnings at $7.87 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $7.48 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $7.97 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.20 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $8.61 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $31.27 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $7.87 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $8.56 EPS.

HCA has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Leerink Partners cut their price target on HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings cut HCA Healthcare from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $495.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $465.59.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA stock opened at $413.78 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $89.58 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $389.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $448.25. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $353.99 and a one year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.84 EPS.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 2,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $946,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.7% in the first quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 587 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 3,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,833,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.