HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 29.100-31.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 30.300. The company issued revenue guidance of $76.5 billion-$80.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $78.6 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HCA. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $452.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $537.36.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $474.34 on Friday. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $321.39 and a one year high of $556.52. The stock has a market cap of $106.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $507.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $485.06.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 30.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total value of $903,528.78. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,411,395. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $1,021,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $196,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 55.7% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 358 shares of the company's stock worth $153,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth about $125,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company's stock.

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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