HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Hits New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• HCA Healthcare shares reached a new 52-week high, trading at $431.77, and analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $407.75.
• In its latest quarterly earnings report, HCA beat expectations with a revenue of $18.61 billion and earnings per share of $6.84, exceeding analysts' predictions.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 0.7% and a low payout ratio of 12.11%.

Shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $429.75 and last traded at $431.77, with a volume of 50647 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $426.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial increased their target price on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Wolfe Research lowered HCA Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HCA Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $444.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $407.75.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $100.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.40. The company's 50-day moving average price is $395.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $371.70.

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

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were issued 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's payout ratio is 12.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. This represents a 10.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,454 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,796,000 after buying an additional 2,698 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2,336.0% during the second quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,218 shares of the company's stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168 shares during the period. Harrell Investment Partners LLC raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 176.3% during the 2nd quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,815 shares of the company's stock worth $695,000 after purchasing an additional 1,158 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 53.9% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,600,000 after buying an additional 1,622 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 26.9% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,141 shares of the company's stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company's stock.

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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