HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• HCA Healthcare, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $407.75.
• In the latest quarter, HCA reported earnings of $6.84 per share, exceeding estimates by $0.64, and achieved a 6.4% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year.
• HCA Healthcare declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, which is part of an annualized yield of 0.7% and a dividend payout ratio of 12.11%.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $407.75.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on HCA Healthcare from $404.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wolfe Research cut shares of HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Saturday, September 27th.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,503 shares in the company, valued at $13,194,716.52. The trade was a 10.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 142 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.4% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,791,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 1,451 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the company's stock worth $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA opened at $433.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $101.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.40. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $289.98 and a 1-year high of $435.03. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $399.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $373.65.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.49 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. HCA Healthcare's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.50 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.11%.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.

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