Robert W. Baird Has Lowered Expectations for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird lowered its price target on HCA from $450 to $442 and kept a neutral rating, implying roughly an 11.41% downside from the prior close.
• The analyst consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average target of $537.36 (16 Buys, 7 Holds, 1 Sell), showing substantially higher expectations than Baird's view.
• HCA beat quarterly EPS estimates with $8.01 vs. $7.37 expected, reported $19.51B in revenue (slightly under estimates), and set FY2026 guidance of 29.100–31.500 EPS.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from $450.00 to $442.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective would indicate a potential downside of 11.41% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $529.00 to $561.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Argus raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $537.36.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $498.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $314.43 and a 12-month high of $556.52. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $511.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $483.26.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the business'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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 8,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.58, for a total value of $4,126,931.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,357.94. The trade was a 40.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 2,026 shares of the company's stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 749 shares of the company's stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 300 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Sovran Advisors LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% in the third quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 22 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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