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HCA Healthcare (HCA) Competitors

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$382.28 +0.09 (+0.02%)
Closing price 07/24/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$381.42 -0.85 (-0.22%)
As of 07/24/2026 07:34 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.
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HCA vs. ACHC, ENSG, CNC, EHC, and ELV

Should you buy HCA Healthcare stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares HCA Healthcare with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with HCA Healthcare include Acadia Healthcare (ACHC), The Ensign Group (ENSG), Centene (CNC), Encompass Health (EHC), and Elevance Health (ELV). These companies are all part of the "medical" sector.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Acadia Healthcare?

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) and HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment and profitability.

Acadia Healthcare currently has a consensus price target of $28.69, suggesting a potential downside of 16.86%. HCA Healthcare has a consensus price target of $483.45, suggesting a potential upside of 26.47%. Given HCA Healthcare's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe HCA Healthcare is more favorable than Acadia Healthcare.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Acadia Healthcare
2 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.47
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.54

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.77% compared to Acadia Healthcare's net margin of -32.84%. Acadia Healthcare's return on equity of 7.09% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Acadia Healthcare-32.84% 7.09% 3.01%
HCA Healthcare 8.77%-244.79%11.10%

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 26 more articles in the media than Acadia Healthcare. MarketBeat recorded 36 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 10 mentions for Acadia Healthcare. Acadia Healthcare's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.77 indicating that Acadia Healthcare is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Acadia Healthcare
5 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
HCA Healthcare
17 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
10 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

HCA Healthcare has higher revenue and earnings than Acadia Healthcare. Acadia Healthcare is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than HCA Healthcare, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Acadia Healthcare$3.31B0.96-$1.10B-$12.24N/A
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.12$6.78B$29.8712.80

62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Acadia Healthcare shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Acadia Healthcare has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.12, indicating that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the broader market.

Summary

HCA Healthcare beats Acadia Healthcare on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to The Ensign Group?

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) and The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership and risk.

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.77% compared to The Ensign Group's net margin of 6.89%. The Ensign Group's return on equity of 16.78% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
HCA Healthcare8.77% -244.79% 11.10%
The Ensign Group 6.89%16.78%6.91%

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 11 more articles in the media than The Ensign Group. MarketBeat recorded 36 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 25 mentions for The Ensign Group. HCA Healthcare's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat The Ensign Group's score of 0.71 indicating that HCA Healthcare is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
HCA Healthcare
17 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
10 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
The Ensign Group
11 Very Positive mention(s)
3 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, The Ensign Group has a beta of 0.69, meaning that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the broader market.

HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus price target of $483.45, indicating a potential upside of 26.47%. The Ensign Group has a consensus price target of $213.50, indicating a potential upside of 23.42%. Given HCA Healthcare's higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe HCA Healthcare is more favorable than The Ensign Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.54
The Ensign Group
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67

62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.1% of The Ensign Group shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 4.0% of The Ensign Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

HCA Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. The Ensign Group pays an annual dividend of $0.26 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. HCA Healthcare pays out 10.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. The Ensign Group pays out 4.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. HCA Healthcare has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years and The Ensign Group has raised its dividend for 18 consecutive years.

HCA Healthcare has higher revenue and earnings than The Ensign Group. HCA Healthcare is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than The Ensign Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.12$6.78B$29.8712.80
The Ensign Group$5.06B2.00$343.97M$6.1428.17

Summary

HCA Healthcare beats The Ensign Group on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Centene?

Centene (NYSE:CNC) and HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and media sentiment.

93.6% of Centene shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.4% of Centene shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Centene has a beta of 1.07, meaning that its share price is 7% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its share price is 12% more volatile than the broader market.

Centene currently has a consensus price target of $64.61, indicating a potential upside of 1.99%. HCA Healthcare has a consensus price target of $483.45, indicating a potential upside of 26.47%. Given HCA Healthcare's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe HCA Healthcare is more favorable than Centene.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Centene
2 Sell rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.25
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.54

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.77% compared to Centene's net margin of -3.25%. Centene's return on equity of 5.57% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Centene-3.25% 5.57% 1.54%
HCA Healthcare 8.77%-244.79%11.10%

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 18 more articles in the media than Centene. MarketBeat recorded 36 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 18 mentions for Centene. Centene's average media sentiment score of 1.42 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.77 indicating that Centene is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Centene
14 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
HCA Healthcare
17 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
10 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

HCA Healthcare has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Centene. Centene is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than HCA Healthcare, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Centene$194.78B0.16-$6.67B-$13.14N/A
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.12$6.78B$29.8712.80

Summary

HCA Healthcare beats Centene on 12 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Encompass Health?

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) and Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends and profitability.

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 18 more articles in the media than Encompass Health. MarketBeat recorded 36 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 18 mentions for Encompass Health. Encompass Health's average media sentiment score of 1.54 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.77 indicating that Encompass Health is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
HCA Healthcare
17 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
10 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Encompass Health
16 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

Encompass Health has a net margin of 10.04% compared to HCA Healthcare's net margin of 8.77%. Encompass Health's return on equity of 18.28% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
HCA Healthcare8.77% -244.79% 11.10%
Encompass Health 10.04%18.28%8.27%

HCA Healthcare has higher revenue and earnings than Encompass Health. HCA Healthcare is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Encompass Health, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.12$6.78B$29.8712.80
Encompass Health$5.94B1.88$566.20M$5.9918.81

HCA Healthcare currently has a consensus price target of $483.45, suggesting a potential upside of 26.47%. Encompass Health has a consensus price target of $143.86, suggesting a potential upside of 27.69%. Given Encompass Health's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Encompass Health is more favorable than HCA Healthcare.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.54
Encompass Health
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.89

62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.3% of Encompass Health shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Encompass Health shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Encompass Health has a beta of 0.74, meaning that its stock price is 26% less volatile than the broader market.

HCA Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Encompass Health pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare pays out 10.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Encompass Health pays out 12.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. HCA Healthcare has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years and Encompass Health has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. HCA Healthcare is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

HCA Healthcare and Encompass Health tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Elevance Health?

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) and Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and media sentiment.

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 6 more articles in the media than Elevance Health. MarketBeat recorded 36 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 30 mentions for Elevance Health. Elevance Health's average media sentiment score of 1.37 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.77 indicating that Elevance Health is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
HCA Healthcare
17 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
10 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Elevance Health
25 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.77% compared to Elevance Health's net margin of 2.47%. Elevance Health's return on equity of 14.64% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
HCA Healthcare8.77% -244.79% 11.10%
Elevance Health 2.47%14.64%5.22%

HCA Healthcare has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Elevance Health. HCA Healthcare is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Elevance Health, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.12$6.78B$29.8712.80
Elevance Health$199.13B0.41$5.66B$22.5016.77

HCA Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Elevance Health pays an annual dividend of $6.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. HCA Healthcare pays out 10.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Elevance Health pays out 30.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. HCA Healthcare has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years and Elevance Health has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Elevance Health is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.2% of Elevance Health shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Elevance Health shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus price target of $483.45, suggesting a potential upside of 26.47%. Elevance Health has a consensus price target of $440.90, suggesting a potential upside of 16.83%. Given HCA Healthcare's higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe HCA Healthcare is more favorable than Elevance Health.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.54
Elevance Health
0 Sell rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.65

HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Elevance Health has a beta of 0.67, meaning that its stock price is 33% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

HCA Healthcare beats Elevance Health on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding HCA and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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HCA vs. The Competition

Export
MetricHCA HealthcareMED IndustryMedical SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$84.80B$20.06B$6.90B$23.53B
Dividend Yield0.82%0.55%2.67%4.20%
P/E Ratio12.8013.4627.1430.96
Price / Sales1.121.06523.3419.25
Price / Cash8.457.9426.3918.55
Price / Book-31.492.2710.304.73
Net Income$6.78B$1.53B$3.60B$1.07B
7 Day Performance3.16%2.22%-0.27%-0.04%
1 Month Performance-2.47%8.08%-1.74%-0.42%
1 Year Performance14.37%14.65%18.24%14.22%

HCA Healthcare Competitors List

Export
CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
HCA
HCA Healthcare
4.7807 of 5 stars		$382.28
+0.0%		$483.45
+26.5%		+14.4%$84.80B$75.60B12.80320,000
ACHC
Acadia Healthcare
1.8818 of 5 stars		$34.43
-0.2%		$28.69
-16.7%		+55.1%$3.17B$3.31BN/A25,000
ENSG
The Ensign Group
4.3124 of 5 stars		$172.04
+0.4%		$213.50
+24.1%		+15.3%$10.05B$5.06B28.0246,000
CNC
Centene
4.0064 of 5 stars		$65.88
-0.8%		$64.61
-1.9%		+123.4%$32.53B$194.78BN/A61,100
EHC
Encompass Health
4.7518 of 5 stars		$112.40
+0.2%		$143.86
+28.0%		+4.8%$11.15B$5.94B18.7642,000

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This page (NYSE:HCA) was last updated on 7/27/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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