Truist Financial Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Stock

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price boosted by investment analysts at Truist Financial from $495.00 to $520.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Truist Financial’s price objective points to a potential upside of 8.44% from the company’s current price.

HCA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $495.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $465.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $482.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $412.00 to $431.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $480.32.

HCA Healthcare Stock Up 1.9%

HCA opened at $479.52 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $478.99 and its 200-day moving average is $424.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $295.00 and a 52-week high of $520.00.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 792.25% and a net margin of 8.53%.The business had revenue of $19.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.90 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. Equities analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,152,408,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 6,115.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 911,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,309,000 after acquiring an additional 896,437 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $109,337,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $115,530,000. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.