HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Price Target Raised to $558.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its target price raised by The Goldman Sachs Group from $520.00 to $558.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on HCA. Bank of America upped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $430.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $481.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.76.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of HCA Healthcare stock traded up $1.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $483.93. The company had a trading volume of 56,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,102,626. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $481.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $436.60. The company has a market capitalization of $110.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a 1-year low of $295.00 and a 1-year high of $527.55.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. The company had revenue of $19.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a boost from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total value of $1,843,990.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,959,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,113,662,000 after buying an additional 179,443 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,152,408,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 1.8% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,065,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $880,199,000 after acquiring an additional 36,414 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after acquiring an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,267,000 after buying an additional 8,478 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and raised guidance — HCA reported $8.01 EPS vs. $7.37 expected and set FY2026 guidance of $29.10–$31.50, which pushed shares higher on the earnings gap-up. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and material price-target increases — Multiple firms raised targets (Jefferies to $590, Deutsche Bank to $558, RBC to $555, Truist to $546), signaling investor confidence in HCA’s outlook and amplifying buy-side momentum. Article Title Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic push into outpatient and acquisition opportunities — Management is accelerating outpatient growth and pursuing bolt-on acquisitions and freestanding sites to capture lower-cost volumes and expand margins. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Quality recognition — Several HCA hospitals were named on Healthgrades’ America’s Best Hospitals lists, supporting brand/market positioning and potentially helping referrals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts say the “story is shifting” — Commentary highlights changing drivers after the target resets (mix of margin leverage from outpatient vs. near-term headwinds); useful for framing expectations but not an immediate directional catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local market activity and freestanding ER growth — HCA’s build-out (e.g., ER south of Fort Myers) and other Florida health systems breaking ground on freestanding EDs signal both expansion opportunities and intensifying local competition. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Federal policy shifts could create headwinds — Management is monitoring potential reimbursement and regulatory changes that could pressure margins or utilization; this is a risk to watch despite the upbeat near-term tone. Article Title

About HCA Healthcare

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.