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HCA Healthcare (HCA) Competitors

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$404.61 -7.13 (-1.73%)
Closing price 08/14/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$404.01 -0.60 (-0.15%)
As of 08/14/2026 07:49 PM Eastern
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HCA vs. ACHC, ENSG, CNC, EHC, and ELV

Should you buy HCA Healthcare stock or one of its competitors? HCA Healthcare's main competitors and comparable companies include Acadia Healthcare (ACHC), The Ensign Group (ENSG), Centene (CNC), Encompass Health (EHC), and Elevance Health (ELV). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "healthcare providers & services" industry.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Acadia Healthcare?

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

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.77% compared to Acadia Healthcare's net margin of -33.44%. Acadia Healthcare's return on equity of 6.19% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Acadia Healthcare-33.44% 6.19% 2.42%
HCA Healthcare 8.77%-244.79%11.10%

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$3.31B0.87-$1.10B-$12.45N/A
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.16$6.78B$29.8713.55

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 12 more articles in the media than Acadia Healthcare. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 18 mentions for Acadia Healthcare. Acadia Healthcare's average media sentiment score of 0.56 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.28 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
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
HCA Healthcare
9 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Acadia Healthcare currently has a consensus target price of $29.85, indicating a potential downside of 3.19%. HCA Healthcare has a consensus target price of $465.59, indicating a potential upside of 15.07%. Given HCA Healthcare's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly 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)
8 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

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 endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Acadia Healthcare has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.1, indicating that its share price is 10% 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?

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

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
The Ensign Group$5.49B1.93$343.97M$6.3828.47
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.16$6.78B$29.8713.55

The Ensign Group pays an annual dividend of $0.26 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. HCA Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. The Ensign Group pays out 4.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. HCA Healthcare pays out 10.4% 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. The Ensign Group has raised its dividend for 18 consecutive years and HCA Healthcare has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.77% compared to The Ensign Group's net margin of 6.90%. The Ensign Group's return on equity of 16.75% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
The Ensign Group6.90% 16.75% 6.97%
HCA Healthcare 8.77%-244.79%11.10%

The Ensign Group has a beta of 0.68, indicating that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.1, indicating that its stock price is 10% more volatile than the broader market.

The Ensign Group presently has a consensus price target of $216.25, indicating a potential upside of 19.05%. HCA Healthcare has a consensus price target of $465.59, indicating a potential upside of 15.07%. Given The Ensign Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe The Ensign Group is more favorable than HCA Healthcare.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
The Ensign Group
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

96.1% of The Ensign Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by institutional investors. 4.0% of The Ensign Group 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 large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 20 more articles in the media than The Ensign Group. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 10 mentions for The Ensign Group. The Ensign Group's average media sentiment score of 0.58 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.28 indicating that The Ensign Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
The Ensign Group
6 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
HCA Healthcare
9 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Summary

The Ensign Group beats HCA Healthcare on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Centene?

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

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.77% compared to Centene's net margin of -2.51%. Centene's return on equity of 12.12% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
HCA Healthcare8.77% -244.79% 11.10%
Centene -2.51%12.12%3.20%

62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.6% of Centene shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Centene shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 14 more articles in the media than Centene. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 16 mentions for Centene. Centene's average media sentiment score of 0.87 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.28 indicating that Centene is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
HCA Healthcare
9 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Centene
7 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its share price is 10% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Centene has a beta of 1.08, meaning that its share price is 8% more volatile than the broader market.

HCA Healthcare has higher earnings, but lower revenue 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
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.16$6.78B$29.8713.55
Centene$202.94B0.16-$6.67B-$10.44N/A

HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus price target of $465.59, indicating a potential upside of 15.07%. Centene has a consensus price target of $69.15, indicating a potential upside of 2.40%. Given HCA Healthcare's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe HCA Healthcare is more favorable than Centene.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57
Centene
2 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

Summary

HCA Healthcare beats Centene on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Encompass Health?

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

Encompass Health currently has a consensus target price of $148.71, indicating a potential upside of 20.34%. HCA Healthcare has a consensus target price of $465.59, indicating a potential upside of 15.07%. Given Encompass Health's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Encompass Health is more favorable than HCA Healthcare.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Encompass Health
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

97.3% of Encompass Health shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of Encompass Health shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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
Encompass Health$5.94B2.05$566.20M$6.1420.13
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.16$6.78B$29.8713.55

Encompass Health has a net margin of 10.01% compared to HCA Healthcare's net margin of 8.77%. Encompass Health's return on equity of 18.08% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Encompass Health10.01% 18.08% 8.22%
HCA Healthcare 8.77%-244.79%11.10%

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 16 more articles in the media than Encompass Health. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 14 mentions for Encompass Health. Encompass Health's average media sentiment score of 0.59 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.28 indicating that Encompass Health is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Encompass Health
5 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
HCA Healthcare
9 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Encompass Health pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Encompass Health pays out 12.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. HCA Healthcare pays out 10.4% 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. Encompass Health has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and HCA Healthcare has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. HCA Healthcare is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Encompass Health has a beta of 0.72, meaning that its share price is 28% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its share price is 10% more volatile than the broader market.

Summary

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

How does HCA Healthcare compare to Elevance Health?

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

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
Elevance Health2.47% 14.64% 5.22%
HCA Healthcare 8.77%-244.79%11.10%

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 22 more articles in the media than Elevance Health. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 8 mentions for Elevance Health. Elevance Health's average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.28 indicating that Elevance Health is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Elevance Health
7 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
HCA Healthcare
9 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Elevance Health currently has a consensus target price of $440.90, indicating a potential upside of 10.05%. HCA Healthcare has a consensus target price of $465.59, indicating a potential upside of 15.07%. Given HCA Healthcare's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe HCA Healthcare is more favorable than Elevance Health.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Elevance Health
0 Sell rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.65
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

HCA Healthcare has lower revenue, but higher earnings 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
Elevance Health$199.13B0.44$5.66B$22.5017.81
HCA Healthcare$75.60B1.16$6.78B$29.8713.55

Elevance Health has a beta of 0.68, meaning that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its stock price is 10% more volatile than the broader market.

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

Elevance Health pays an annual dividend of $6.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. HCA Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Elevance Health pays out 30.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. HCA Healthcare pays out 10.4% 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. Elevance Health has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and HCA Healthcare has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. Elevance Health is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

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

MetricHCA HealthcareHealthcare Providers & Services IndustryHealthcare SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$87.61B$9.87B$7.03B$24.33B
Dividend Yield0.77%2.54%2.57%3.68%
P/E Ratio13.5535.17271.2630.85
Price / Sales1.164.88623.0018.01
Price / Cash8.95124.2475.7032.61
Price / Book-27.303.9412.926.82
Net Income$6.78B$309.96M$3.45B$1.06B
7 Day Performance-1.98%0.09%1.16%0.55%
1 Month Performance4.90%-0.34%2.17%2.70%
1 Year Performance2.22%19.48%62.38%19.14%

HCA Healthcare Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
HCA
HCA Healthcare
4.3234 of 5 stars
$404.61
-1.7%
$465.59
+15.1%
+2.2%$87.61B$75.60B13.55320,000
ACHC
Acadia Healthcare
1.3549 of 5 stars
$31.78
+0.8%
$29.85
-6.1%
+46.9%$2.96B$3.31BN/A25,000
ENSG
The Ensign Group
4.7665 of 5 stars
$183.94
+0.5%
$216.25
+17.6%
+9.3%$10.72B$5.49B28.8346,000
CNC
Centene
3.2364 of 5 stars
$66.51
+1.1%
$68.58
+3.1%
+136.9%$32.86B$202.94BN/A61,100
EHC
Encompass Health
4.7567 of 5 stars
$125.78
+0.4%
$148.71
+18.2%
+2.7%$12.48B$5.94B20.4942,000

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This page (NYSE:HCA) was last updated on 8/16/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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