Brokerages Set HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) PT at $537.73

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and sixteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $537.7273.

Several research firms have recently commented on HCA. Wall Street Zen cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley cut HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. This trade represents a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 82.9% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth $33,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:HCA opened at $472.01 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $314.43 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $511.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $478.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This is an increase from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.99%.

About HCA Healthcare

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.