Analysts Set Expectations for HCA Healthcare Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered HCA Healthcare’s Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $6.79 from $7.23, while full-year 2026 consensus earnings stand at $29.45 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 14 Buy, eight Hold and one Sell rating; the stock carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $465.59, despite several recent target reductions.
• HCA’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, reporting $7.59 EPS and $20.23 billion in revenue, with revenue up 8.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, yielding about 0.8%.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a note issued to investors on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $6.79 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $7.23. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare's current full-year earnings is $29.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare's Q4 2026 earnings at $7.87 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $7.48 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $7.97 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.20 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $8.61 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $31.27 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $7.87 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $8.56 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on HCA. Stephens reduced their price target on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $635.00 to $579.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $450.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $465.59.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA stock opened at $413.78 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $89.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.10. The business's 50 day moving average price is $389.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $448.25. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $353.99 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.84 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is presently 10.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 2,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $946,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 749 shares of the company's stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 587 shares of the company's stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 3,908 shares of the company's stock worth $1,833,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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