Royal Bank Of Canada Reiterates Outperform Rating for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA)

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada reiterated its “outperform” rating on HCA Healthcare and set a $435 price target, implying approximately 7.24% upside from the stock’s recent price of $405.62.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 14 Buy ratings, eight Holds and one Sell; the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $462.64.
• HCA Healthcare reported quarterly EPS of $7.59, slightly ahead of estimates, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $20.23 billion, exceeding consensus expectations.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reiterated by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $435.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 7.24% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday. KeyCorp reduced their target price on HCA Healthcare from $475.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded up $0.62 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $405.62. The stock had a trading volume of 283,393 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,269. The firm has a market cap of $87.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $353.99 and a 12 month high of $556.52. The business's 50-day moving average is $403.59 and its 200 day moving average is $435.91.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.84 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $26,000. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

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.

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