HCA Healthcare Stock Gets Higher EPS Forecast from KeyCorp

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Equities research analysts at KeyCorp increased their FY2026 earnings estimates for HCA Healthcare in a research note issued on Tuesday, October 27th. KeyCorp analyst M. Gillmor now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $30.07 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $29.21. KeyCorp currently has an “Overweight” rating and a $490.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $30.15 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q4 2026 earnings at $8.11 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $7.41 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $7.84 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.59 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $8.48 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $31.32 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $35.11 EPS.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.65 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $19.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.33 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.61% and a negative return on equity of 198.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.96 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $495.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $460.00 to $486.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $495.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $490.00 to $425.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $479.48.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE HCA opened at $467.89 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $438.21 and a 200-day moving average of $444.84. The firm has a market cap of $101.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $353.99 and a 1-year high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 171.7% in the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,242 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,954,000 after purchasing an additional 3,945 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 27.5% during the 1st 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 period. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth $75,534,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in HCA Healthcare by 46.7% during 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 during the period. Finally, Fund 1 Investments LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the second quarter valued at $975,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More HCA Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target for HCA from $381 to $468 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating. The higher target reflects improved valuation support, although the rating signals limited expected upside at current levels. Wells Fargo HCA price-target update
• Positive Sentiment: HCA’s price target was also raised to $521 in a separate analyst update, while KeyCorp reportedly strengthened its earnings-per-share estimates. These revisions may support investor confidence in the company’s earnings outlook. HCA price target raised to $521 KeyCorp HCA EPS estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: An HCA subsidiary is planning a senior-notes offering. The financing could provide capital for operations or investment, but it would also increase debt obligations; terms such as pricing and size will determine the ultimate impact. HCA subsidiary senior-notes offering HCA senior notes offering
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA released renderings for a planned $300 million hospital in Cape Coral, Florida, with tax support. The project points to long-term expansion but may require substantial capital before contributing meaningfully to earnings. HCA Cape Coral hospital project
• Negative Sentiment: A reported HCA data breach affected approximately 55,000 people, creating potential costs related to remediation, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage. HCA data breach
• Negative Sentiment: Reports warn of payer pressure ahead of HCA’s 2027 outlook. Concerns over reimbursement rates and negotiations could weigh on margins and temper the benefit of stronger earnings estimates. HCA payer pressure outlook

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.