HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $573.00 at Leerink Partners

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Leerink Partners from $507.00 to $573.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Leerink Partners’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 18.93% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on HCA. 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. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.76.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HCA traded down $0.73 on Wednesday, hitting $481.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,542 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,101,804. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $295.00 and a 1 year high of $527.55. The company has a market capitalization of $109.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $481.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $436.60.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 311.8% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and raised guidance — HCA reported $8.01 EPS vs. $7.37 expected and set FY2026 guidance of $29.10–$31.50, which pushed shares higher on the earnings gap-up. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and material price-target increases — Multiple firms raised targets (Jefferies to $590, Deutsche Bank to $558, RBC to $555, Truist to $546), signaling investor confidence in HCA’s outlook and amplifying buy-side momentum. Article Title Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic push into outpatient and acquisition opportunities — Management is accelerating outpatient growth and pursuing bolt-on acquisitions and freestanding sites to capture lower-cost volumes and expand margins. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Quality recognition — Several HCA hospitals were named on Healthgrades’ America’s Best Hospitals lists, supporting brand/market positioning and potentially helping referrals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts say the “story is shifting” — Commentary highlights changing drivers after the target resets (mix of margin leverage from outpatient vs. near-term headwinds); useful for framing expectations but not an immediate directional catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local market activity and freestanding ER growth — HCA’s build-out (e.g., ER south of Fort Myers) and other Florida health systems breaking ground on freestanding EDs signal both expansion opportunities and intensifying local competition. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Federal policy shifts could create headwinds — Management is monitoring potential reimbursement and regulatory changes that could pressure margins or utilization; this is a risk to watch despite the upbeat near-term tone. Article Title

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.