HCA Healthcare (HCA) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$435.18 -0.43 (-0.10%)

Closing price 09/25/2026 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$433.12 -2.06 (-0.47%)

As of 09/25/2026 08:00 PM Eastern

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HCA Healthcare - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Moderate Buy

Based on 24 Analyst Ratings

Sell
1

Hold
8

Buy
15

Based on 24 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for HCA Healthcare in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 24 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 8 have given a hold rating, and 15 have given a buy rating for HCA.

Consensus Price Target

$463.70
6.55% Upside

According to the 24 analysts' twelve-month price targets for HCA Healthcare, the average price target is $463.70. The highest price target for HCA is $579.00, while the lowest price target for HCA is $380.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 6.55% from the current price of $435.18.

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

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HCA Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 9/28/25 to 9/28/26	1 Month Ago 8/29/25 to 8/29/26	3 Months Ago 6/30/25 to 6/30/26	1 Year Ago 9/28/24 to 9/28/25
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	15 Buy rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)
Hold	8 Hold rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)
Sell	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$463.70	$462.64	$503.00	$407.75
Forecasted Upside	6.55% Upside	10.79% Upside	28.94% Upside	-2.86% Downside
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy

HCA Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

HCA Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

HCA Healthcare Stock vs. The Competition

Type	HCA Healthcare	Healthcare Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.58	2.31	2.53
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	6.55% Upside	764.10% Upside	19.20% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent HCA News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export

Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
9/22/2026	BMO Capital Markets 3 of 5 stars	Sean Dodge Not Rated	Initiated Coverage	Market Perform ➝ Outperform	$495.00	+12.98%
9/18/2026	Leerink Partners 2 of 5 stars	Whit Mayo 2 of 5 stars	Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$492.00	+14.29%
9/8/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada 3 of 5 stars	Ben Hendrix 3 of 5 stars	Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$435.00	+7.39%
9/4/2026	Weiss Ratings Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Hold (C+)
8/20/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Benjamin Rossi Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$490.00 ➝ $425.00	+4.83%
8/3/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Stephen Baxter Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Equal Weight	$369.00 ➝ $381.00	-7.87%
7/28/2026	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Scott Fidel Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy	$558.00 ➝ $485.00	+24.44%
7/28/2026	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ann Hynes Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Outperform	$525.00 ➝ $475.00	+21.88%
7/27/2026	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	A.J. Rice Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy	$635.00 ➝ $579.00	+49.09%
7/27/2026	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$476.00	+22.57%
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7/27/2026	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Craig Hettenbach Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Underweight	$425.00 ➝ $380.00	-2.15%
7/27/2026	Truist Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	David MacDonald Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy	$535.00 ➝ $495.00	+27.98%
7/27/2026	Oppenheimer Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Michael Wiederhorn Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Outperform	$520.00 ➝ $485.00	+26.30%
7/27/2026	KeyCorp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Matthew Gillmor Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight	$475.00 ➝ $435.00	+13.79%
7/27/2026	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Andrew Mok Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$402.00 ➝ $387.00	+1.23%
7/27/2026	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Michael Ha Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$396.00 ➝ $393.00	+2.80%
7/15/2026	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Lance Wilkes Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Market Perform
7/14/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$450.00	+23.47%
7/7/2026	Raymond James Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Sarah James Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$528.00	+23.26%
7/7/2026	Cantor Fitzgerald Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Sarah James Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight	$588.00 ➝ $525.00	+25.90%
6/22/2026	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ryan Langston Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy	$500.00 ➝ $431.00	+14.99%
5/4/2026	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Buy	$560.00 ➝ $500.00	+15.88%
4/27/2026	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Raj Kumar Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight	$560.00 ➝ $530.00	+19.56%
11/27/2025	Zacks Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Strong-Buy ➝ Hold
10/27/2025	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Joanna Gajuk Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral	$430.00 ➝ $470.00	+1.71%
7/28/2025	Wolfe Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Justin Lake Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Outperform ➝ Peer Perform
4/9/2025	Guggenheim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jason Cassorla Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Initiated Coverage	Neutral

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Monday at 01:23 AM ET.

Should I Buy HCA Healthcare Stock? HCA Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these HCA Healthcare pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

HCA Healthcare
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in HCA Healthcare, Inc.:

The stock is currently trading at $435.18, which is below the average analyst price target of $463.70, suggesting potential upside as the consensus rating remains a Moderate Buy from twenty-three ratings firms.
HCA Healthcare, Inc. recently reported strong financial performance with 8.7% year-over-year revenue growth and earnings per share of $7.59, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $7.56, demonstrating the company's ability to drive volume growth and manage costs effectively.
The company is actively expanding its outpatient network, with a goal to reach 20 outpatient facilities per hospital by 2030, a strategic shift that positions the firm to capture more high-margin care outside of traditional inpatient settings.
Recent strategic moves include the acquisition of The College of Health Care Professions, which serves over 8,000 students annually, helping the company address staffing challenges by building its own pipeline of healthcare professionals.
Investors can benefit from a modest dividend yield of 0.74%, providing a small but steady income stream while the company focuses on operational growth and network expansion across the United States and the United Kingdom.

HCA Healthcare
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in HCA Healthcare, Inc. for these reasons:

Legal and regulatory risks are increasing, as evidenced by a recent investigation by Pomerantz Law Firm on behalf of investors and an antitrust lawsuit against the company that has hit a roadblock, creating potential for future liabilities and reputational damage.
Short interest in the stock has been rising, with shares shorted increasing to approximately 6.48 million shares as of September 15, 2026, indicating that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock's future performance.
The company faces pressure from a changing service mix, where payer-mix dynamics may squeeze margins despite healthy volume growth, as the shift toward more complex or lower-reimbursed care types can impact overall profitability.
Recent insider activity shows a trend of selling, with several executives, including EVPs and SVPs, selling shares in early 2026, which may signal a lack of confidence in the current valuation or future growth trajectory among company leadership.
Patient affordability is becoming a growing pressure point for health systems, which could lead to increased bad debt or reduced revenue as economic conditions affect the ability of patients to pay for services, posing a risk to the company's financial stability.

HCA Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 24 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for HCA Healthcare is $463.70, with a high forecast of $579.00 and a low forecast of $380.00.

24 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for HCA Healthcare in the last year. There is currently 1 sell rating, 8 hold ratings and 15 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" HCA shares.

According to analysts, HCA Healthcare's stock has a predicted upside of 6.55% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, HCA Healthcare's stock had 1 downgrade by analysts.

HCA Healthcare has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, Cantor Fitzgerald, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., KeyCorp, Leerink Partners, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, Raymond James Financial, Robert W. Baird, Royal Bank Of Canada, Sanford C. Bernstein, The Goldman Sachs Group, Truist Financial, UBS Group, Weiss Ratings, and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.

Analysts like HCA Healthcare more than other "healthcare" companies. The consensus rating for HCA Healthcare is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "healthcare" companies is Hold. Learn more on how HCA compares to other companies.

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Brokerages With HCA Healthcare Recommendations

MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for HCA Healthcare analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/22/2026.

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HCA Healthcare (HCA) Stock Forecast & Price Target