HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Issues Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) issued an update on its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 7.590-7.590 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 7.410. The company issued revenue guidance of $20.2 billion-$20.2 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $19.4 billion. HCA Healthcare also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 28.700-30.500 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on HCA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Argus decreased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on HCA Healthcare from $436.00 to $428.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Stephens cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $495.18.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $390.81 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $396.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $459.73. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $330.00 and a 1 year high of $556.52. The firm has a market cap of $86.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.12.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $19.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.09 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.45 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.73%.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

Here are the key news stories impacting HCA Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HCA reported preliminary Q2 2026 revenue of about $20.23 billion, above the $19.4 billion consensus and well ahead of the prior-year quarter, signaling stronger-than-expected demand and operating momentum. HCA reports preliminary quarterly revenue above expectations
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s Q2 2026 guidance called for EPS of $7.59 versus the $7.41 estimate and revenue of $20.2 billion versus $19.4 billion expected, reinforcing that results are trending better than Wall Street anticipated.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA’s FY 2026 guidance of $28.70 to $30.50 in EPS and $77.0 billion to $79.5 billion in revenue was mixed: revenue guidance is around expectations, while the earnings outlook sits below the consensus estimate of $30.17 EPS.
• Neutral Sentiment: On July 13, Wells Fargo lowered its price target on HCA to $428 from $436 but kept an “equal weight” rating, suggesting a cautious but not bearish stance from analysts.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,566,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,532,563,000 after buying an additional 76,039 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,194,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,024,535,000 after buying an additional 64,630 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in HCA Healthcare by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,138,179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,370,000 after purchasing an additional 37,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 688,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,504,000 after buying an additional 35,817 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.