HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Bank of America Analyst Says

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price objective hoisted by research analysts at Bank of America from $375.00 to $410.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Bank of America‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 1.76% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $444.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on HCA Healthcare from $385.00 to $375.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $403.17.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $402.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $94.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $382.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $362.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.86. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $289.98 and a 1-year high of $420.98.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.20 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.21% and a negative return on equity of 7,363.11%. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.500-27.000 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total transaction of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. The trade was a 10.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.