HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $535.00 to $590.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.44% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on HCA. Truist Financial lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $520.00 to $546.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 27th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $512.43.

HCA Healthcare Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded down $15.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $489.87. The stock had a trading volume of 1,130,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,117,369. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $480.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $435.90. The firm has a market cap of $111.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $295.00 and a 12-month high of $527.55.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.37 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,113,662,000 after acquiring an additional 179,443 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $1,152,408,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,065,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $880,199,000 after acquiring an additional 36,414 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the second 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. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,267,000 after purchasing an additional 8,478 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted price targets and maintained buy/outperform ratings — RBC raised its target to $555, Deutsche Bank to $558 and Truist to $546, reinforcing upside expectations. RBC price target raise Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns stepped up — management added $10B to the buyback program and raised the quarterly dividend ~8.3%, a strong capital-allocation cue supporting EPS and cash-return expectations. Dividend and buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat and constructive 2026 outlook — Q4 EPS $8.01 topped estimates and the company issued FY26 EPS guidance of $29.10–31.50 with revenue guidance of $76.5B–$80B and a $400M cost-savings plan. Management framed demand and cost initiatives as supportive of profit. Q4 results & guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations — Q4 revenue was $19.51B versus estimates near $19.67B, suggesting mix or volume/reimbursement nuances despite the EPS beat. Earnings details
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk could reduce 2026 results — management flagged a multi-hundred-million-dollar hit from loss of ACA tax credits and Medicaid changes (reported estimates $600M–$1B), which increases uncertainty around margin and cash flow. Policy headwinds/StatNews FierceHealthcare coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin risk concerns — some analysts/commentary warn that margin gains may be peaking and current valuation already reflects much of the upside, leaving the stock exposed if policy or margin pressures materialize. Seeking Alpha risk analysis

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.