Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its HCA Healthcare price target to $381 from $369 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating; the new target implies 7.79% downside from the reported $413.19 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 14 Buy, eight Hold and one Sell rating, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $465.59.
• HCA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $7.59 in EPS versus $7.56 expected and $20.23 billion in revenue versus $19.76 billion forecast; revenue increased 8.7% year over year.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $369.00 to $381.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price points to a potential downside of 7.79% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on HCA. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on HCA Healthcare from $588.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $402.00 to $387.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $476.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $465.59.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA stock opened at $413.19 on Monday. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $353.99 and a one year high of $556.52. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $387.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $450.99. The stock has a market cap of $89.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.10.

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. The firm had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.76 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 29.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 213.0% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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