HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock Gets Price Target Bump from KeyCorp

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target raised by equities researchers at KeyCorp from $435.00 to $490.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. KeyCorp‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.56% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on HCA. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $393.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Leerink Partners restated an “outperform” rating and set a $492.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on HCA Healthcare from $369.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $472.00.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $451.38 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $433.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $444.96. HCA Healthcare has a one year low of $353.99 and a one year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.65 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $19.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.33 billion. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 29.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 171.7% in the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,954,000 after purchasing an additional 3,945 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 27.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 467,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,380,000 after buying an additional 100,764 shares during the last quarter. SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $75,534,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 46.7% in the second quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,879,000 after buying an additional 350,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fund 1 Investments LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $975,000. Institutional investors 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: HCA reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $7.22 per share, above the roughly $6.65–$6.74 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 3.6% year over year to $19.85 billion, exceeding estimates. Higher admissions and emergency-room visits supported results. HCA Healthcare beats quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company maintained its current-year outlook, and Robert W. Baird raised its HCA price target from $393 to $409, although it retained a Neutral rating. Robert W. Baird analyst rating
• Positive Sentiment: HCA declared a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share, or $3.12 annually, providing a modest 0.7% indicated yield. HCA Healthcare dividend information
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are reassessing HCA’s valuation after the earnings release, with the new Baird target still about 9% below the referenced share price despite the target increase.
• Negative Sentiment: Management indicated that 2027 earnings could be roughly flat as Medicaid payments decline, raising concerns about slower future profit growth. HCA signals flat 2027 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: A rise in uninsured patients is expected to reduce earnings by approximately $400 million, intensifying worries about uncompensated care and payer mix. HCA takes $400 million uninsured-patient hit
• Negative Sentiment: Net income slipped to $1.58 billion from $1.64 billion a year earlier. Investors also noted a 5.4% decline in ambulatory surgery-center volume, higher costs, and fewer surgeries, which tempered the earnings beat. HCA earnings reveal ambulatory surgery volume decline
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm announced an investigation into potential investor claims following the company’s disclosures, adding a near-term sentiment overhang. Pomerantz HCA investor investigation

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.