HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• HCA Healthcare has been upgraded from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen.
• The company reported $6.96 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.6%.
• Analyst ratings for HCA indicate a mix of performance outlooks, with one strong buy, eleven buys, and nine hold ratings, and an average price target of $437.19.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $404.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $438.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $437.19.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

HCA Healthcare stock opened at $446.58 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $414.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $381.67. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $461.56. The company has a market capitalization of $104.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. The firm had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.90 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,503 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,194,716.52. This represents a 10.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,152,408,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 83.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,399,372 shares of the company's stock worth $829,104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091,416 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company's stock worth $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 49.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,781,459 shares of the company's stock worth $615,583,000 after acquiring an additional 587,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth about $569,217,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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