HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Receives $485.95 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $487.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley cut HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Monday, October 27th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value 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 approximately $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth $1,152,408,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,309,000 after purchasing an additional 896,437 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after buying an additional 690,773 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $109,337,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $115,530,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $469.08 on Thursday. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $295.00 and a one year high of $520.00. The stock has a market cap of $107.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $480.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $431.78.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The company had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.55 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 11.13%.

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.