HCA Healthcare Q2 EPS Estimate Boosted by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for HCA Healthcare to $7.27 from $7.21, signaling slightly improved near-term earnings expectations. It also nudged several longer-term forecasts, including FY2026 EPS to $29.82.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on HCA, with 16 Buy ratings, seven Hold ratings, and one Sell rating. The stock’s average analyst price target is $517.82, implying meaningful upside from its latest trading level.
• HCA’s latest quarter came in close to expectations, with revenue of $19.11 billion topping estimates even as EPS missed by $0.04. The company also confirmed a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, payable June 30.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note issued on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $7.27 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $7.21. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare's current full-year earnings is $30.07 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare's Q3 2026 earnings at $7.23 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $8.17 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $29.82 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $7.60 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $7.89 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.74 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $9.09 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $32.32 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $8.25 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $36.61 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on HCA. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $541.00 to $503.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $573.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $517.82.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $434.58 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $491.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $486.57. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $330.00 and a 1-year high of $556.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.18.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 295.93% and a net margin of 8.89%.The company had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.45 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total transaction of $4,126,931.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,171,357.94. This represents a 40.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.37, for a total transaction of $903,528.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,721,924.61. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 13,714 shares of company stock valued at $7,050,460 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,566,643 shares of the company's stock worth $3,532,563,000 after purchasing an additional 76,039 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,999,422 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,334,040,000 after buying an additional 40,086 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,663,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,702,738,000 after buying an additional 13,565 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth $1,262,513,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,311,112 shares of the company's stock worth $1,078,966,000 after acquiring an additional 245,887 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised FY2026 EPS estimates to $29.82 from $29.63, and also slightly increased Q2 2026 and Q3 2026 expectations, suggesting some resilience in near-term performance.
• Positive Sentiment: The updated projections still show earnings growth over the next several years, with FY2028 EPS forecast at $36.61, indicating analysts continue to expect strong long-term profitability.
• Neutral Sentiment: The consensus full-year EPS estimate remains at $30.05 per share, so the latest revisions do not appear to materially change the broader Wall Street outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut estimates for several future periods, including Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, FY2027, Q1 2028 and FY2028, which could weigh on sentiment around future growth expectations.

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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