HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Hold"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded HCA from "buy" to "hold"; overall analyst mix remains tilted positive (16 Buy, 7 Hold, 1 Sell) with a consensus target of $520.55 ("Moderate Buy").
• Q1 results and guidance: HCA reported EPS of $7.15 (missed by $0.04) and revenue of $19.11B (slightly above expectations), and set FY2026 guidance of $29.10–$31.50 EPS (sell-side average ~30.05).
• Market snapshot and insider activity: Shares trade near $433.73 with a market cap of $96.5B and a P/E of ~14.9; insiders sold about $7.8M of stock last quarter and insiders own 1.5% of shares.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

HCA has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $593.00 to $534.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $520.55.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $433.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.19. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $330.00 and a 1 year high of $556.52. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $497.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $485.41.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,721,924.61. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,003 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,194.27. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 262.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 34,688 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,416,000 after acquiring an additional 25,108 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.2% in the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 82,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,009,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 81.4% in the first quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 880 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 12.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,887,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. 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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