Robert W. Baird Cuts HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target to $393.00

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird lowered HCA Healthcare’s price target to $393 from $396 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying approximately 2.8% upside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 14 Buy, 9 Hold, and 1 Sell rating; MarketBeat lists a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $480.55.
• HCA Healthcare slightly exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $7.59 in adjusted EPS versus $7.56 expected and $20.23 billion in revenue, up 8.7% year over year.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from $396.00 to $393.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird's price target points to a potential upside of 2.80% from the stock's previous close.

HCA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $427.00 to $402.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Argus dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $480.55.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of HCA stock opened at $382.28 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $84.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.12. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $330.00 and a fifty-two week high of $556.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $386.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $453.56.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 244.79% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.84 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 29.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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