FY2024 EPS Estimates for HCA Healthcare Decreased by Analyst

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Equities research analysts at Leerink Partnrs lowered their FY2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a report released on Monday, October 28th. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now forecasts that the company will earn $21.60 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $22.37. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $22.48 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q4 2024 earnings at $5.84 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $6.46 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $5.67 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $7.30 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $25.51 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $28.10 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $30.68 EPS.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Wolfe Research raised HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $376.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.11.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $360.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.06. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $222.23 and a 1 year high of $417.14. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $394.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $353.21. The company has a market capitalization of $94.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.16%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 51.2% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,543,000 after purchasing an additional 2,584 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 54.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,639,000 after acquiring an additional 4,893 shares during the period. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth about $95,882,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.6% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 225,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,335,000 after buying an additional 3,516 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.