Brokerages Set HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) PT at $534.50

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $537.7273.

Several research firms have weighed in on HCA. UBS Group boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $598.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $529.00 to $561.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 13.1% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,719,000 after purchasing an additional 5,092 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 558,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,115,000 after buying an additional 23,100 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 626,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,051,000 after acquiring an additional 17,531 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 37.7% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sector Gamma AS boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 10,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,638,000 after purchasing an additional 2,883 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on HCA to $561 and kept a Buy rating, signaling continued analyst confidence and suggesting upside versus the current share level. This type of analyst action often supports buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: HCA system was cleared to build a freestanding emergency room despite community pushback — a win for local expansion plans and potential incremental revenue/volume growth in the market where it will operate. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published pieces highlighting HCA as a momentum and value stock and as a name with earnings growth/price strength — favorable retail/quant narratives that can attract buyers. (Multiple Zacks items.) Momentum Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the Barclays 28th Annual Global Healthcare Conference — transcripts provide detail on strategy, capital allocation and growth initiatives but offered no headline surprises that would immediately re-rate the stock. Barclays Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA also presented at the Leerink Global Healthcare Conference — additional management commentary (transcript) that reinforces the same operational and growth themes but adds incremental detail rather than new catalysts. Leerink Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA’s CIO discussed the importance of “operational quiet” for digital transformation — an execution-focused piece that underlines IT/digital investment discipline but is more about long-term efficiency than an immediate earnings shock. CIO Article

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $537.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $120.26 billion, a PE ratio of 18.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $310.18 and a fifty-two week high of $552.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $503.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $467.72.

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

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.99%.

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.