Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for HCA Healthcare in a report released on Wednesday, March 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $7.11 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $6.93. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $24.98 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q1 2027 earnings at $7.86 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $8.16 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.93 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $9.23 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $33.18 EPS.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.22 EPS. The firm’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.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on HCA. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $534.50.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $545.88 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $501.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $466.79. The company has a market cap of $122.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $310.18 and a one year high of $552.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock valued at $7,797,595. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

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

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.