Leerink Partnrs Forecasts Weaker Earnings for HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs cut their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a report released on Monday, January 27th. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $5.80 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $6.08. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $21.75 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q2 2025 earnings at $6.37 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $5.55 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $7.39 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $25.11 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $6.86 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $7.19 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $6.28 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $8.44 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $28.78 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $405.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $382.19.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $332.18 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $281.61 and a 1-year high of $417.14. The company has a market cap of $84.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.71, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $313.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $353.13.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.19. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 520.98%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.90 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Canoe Financial LP purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Phillip G. Billington sold 3,897 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $1,363,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 52,702 shares in the company, valued at $18,445,700. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Erol R. Akdamar sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.00, for a total transaction of $1,023,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,579. This trade represents a 29.76 % 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 11.85%.

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.