HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $387.00 to $401.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $495.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $492.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Mizuho set a $495.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $479.48.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $467.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.46, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $438.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.84. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $353.99 and a 12 month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.65 by $0.57. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. The business had revenue of $19.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.33 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 30.15 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.34%.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth $191,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $73,000. Calamos Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the third quarter valued at $230,000. Calamos Advisors LLC raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 2.1% in the third quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 48,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,685,000 after buying an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 71.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 1,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $485,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target for HCA from $381 to $468 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating. The higher target reflects improved valuation support, although the rating signals limited expected upside at current levels. Wells Fargo HCA price-target update
• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s price target was also raised to $521 in a separate analyst update, while KeyCorp reportedly strengthened its earnings-per-share estimates. These revisions may support investor confidence in the company’s earnings outlook. HCA price target raised to $521 KeyCorp HCA EPS estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: An HCA subsidiary is planning a senior-notes offering. The financing could provide capital for operations or investment, but it would also increase debt obligations; terms such as pricing and size will determine the ultimate impact. HCA subsidiary senior-notes offering HCA senior notes offering
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA released renderings for a planned $300 million hospital in Cape Coral, Florida, with tax support. The project points to long-term expansion but may require substantial capital before contributing meaningfully to earnings. HCA Cape Coral hospital project
• Negative Sentiment: A reported HCA data breach affected approximately 55,000 people, creating potential costs related to remediation, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage. HCA data breach
• Negative Sentiment: Reports warn of payer pressure ahead of HCA’s 2027 outlook. Concerns over reimbursement rates and negotiations could weigh on margins and temper the benefit of stronger earnings estimates. HCA payer pressure outlook

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc is a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency care facilities, physician practices and other healthcare sites. Its facilities provide a broad range of services, including acute and emergency care, surgery, cardiology, oncology, women’s and children’s services, behavioral health and outpatient care.

The company serves patients primarily across the United States through a network of healthcare facilities in numerous states.