Argus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price

Key Points

• Argus cut its price target on HCA from $560 to $500 but kept a "buy" rating, implying about 15.88% upside from the current price.
• Several other brokers also trimmed targets (Deutsche Bank, RBC, KeyCorp, Barclays), leaving a MarketBeat consensus of Moderate Buy with a $517.82 price target.
• HCA slightly missed Q1 EPS ($7.15 vs. $7.19) while revenue beat at $19.11B, and management set FY2026 guidance of $29.10–31.50 EPS (analysts expect ~30.05 EPS).

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by analysts at Argus from $560.00 to $500.00 in a report released on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Argus' price objective indicates a potential upside of 15.88% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded HCA Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $593.00 to $534.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. KeyCorp cut their target price on HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $551.00 to $496.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $517.82.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $431.47 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.19. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $330.00 and a one year high of $556.52. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $497.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $486.41.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 30.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,171,357.94. The trade was a 40.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 62.73% of the stock is 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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