HCA Healthcare Q4 EPS Forecast Reduced by Leerink Partnrs

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Investment analysts at Leerink Partnrs dropped their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a report issued on Wednesday, October 23rd. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now expects that the company will post earnings of $6.44 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $6.46. 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 Q1 2025 earnings at $6.04 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $30.52 EPS.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on HCA. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $378.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $367.00 to $396.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $475.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research raised HCA Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $377.17.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 8.9 %

Shares of HCA stock opened at $363.55 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $93.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.67. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $220.55 and a fifty-two week high of $417.14. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $395.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $352.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.11, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HCA. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position in HCA Healthcare by 112.5% during the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 284.0% during the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total value of $1,085,804.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,436,623.54. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other HCA Healthcare news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 8,358 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.42, for a total transaction of $3,221,340.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,438,494.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 2,987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.51, for a total transaction of $1,085,804.37. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,454 shares in the company, valued at $3,436,623.54. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. 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 payout ratio is 12.39%.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.