HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $590.00

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price boosted by Jefferies Financial Group from $535.00 to $590.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on HCA. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of HCA Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $431.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Stephens boosted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $518.76.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of HCA stock opened at $488.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $111.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $481.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $437.35. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $295.00 and a 12-month high of $527.55.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.The company had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.22 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.15%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,105.73. The trade was a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sovran Advisors LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the third quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.9% during the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 2.4% in the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, One Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $959,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly results and market reaction — HCA reported an EPS beat and raised FY 2026 guidance, prompting coverage noting a gap up in the stock after the print. Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts boost targets and maintain bullish ratings — Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $558 (buy) and Leerink Partners increased its target to $573 (outperform), supporting further upside potential. Goldman Sachs Raises PT Leerink Raises PT TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: Additional bullish analyst commentary — Truist and Deutsche Bank analysts publicly stated expectations for HCA shares to rise, reinforcing the buy-side momentum. Truist Note Deutsche Bank Note
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and quality recognition — Multiple HCA hospitals placed on Healthgrades’ America’s 50/100/250 Best Hospitals lists, supporting reputation and referral flows. Healthgrades Recognition
• Positive Sentiment: Outpatient growth and M&A runway — Company commentary and industry pieces highlight HCA’s push into outpatient facilities and acquisition opportunities, which investors view as margin‑accretive growth. Outpatient Growth Acquisition Opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research notes/coverage — Zacks highlights HCA as a strong growth stock based on style scores, adding to favorable retail/institutional sentiment. Zacks Growth Stock Piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts say the narrative is shifting — Coverage explores how the investment story is evolving post‑earnings/target resets; watch valuation vs. growth expectations. Analyst Narrative
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion and competitive landscape — Reporting on new ER builds and regional facility activity (e.g., southwest Florida) that may influence local market share dynamics. Local ER Story Freestanding EDs
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/regulatory risk — HCA is publicly noting it is monitoring federal policy shifts that could affect reimbursement or operations; this is a watcher for downside risk. Policy Risk

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.