HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 28.700-30.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 30.170. The company issued revenue guidance of $77.0 billion-$79.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $78.6 billion. HCA Healthcare also updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 7.590-7.590 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. Truist Financial set a $413.00 target price on HCA Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $528.00 target price on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $495.18.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

HCA stock opened at $390.81 on Tuesday. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $330.00 and a 12 month high of $556.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.70 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $396.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $459.73.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.89% and a negative return on equity of 295.93%. The company had revenue of $19.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.45 EPS. HCA Healthcare’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 30.07 earnings per share for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is presently 10.73%.

Key Stories Impacting HCA Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: HCA reported preliminary Q2 2026 revenue of about $20.23 billion, above the $19.4 billion consensus and well ahead of the prior-year quarter, signaling stronger-than-expected demand and operating momentum. HCA reports preliminary quarterly revenue above expectations
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s Q2 2026 guidance called for EPS of $7.59 versus the $7.41 estimate and revenue of $20.2 billion versus $19.4 billion expected, reinforcing that results are trending better than Wall Street anticipated.
• Neutral Sentiment: HCA’s FY 2026 guidance of $28.70 to $30.50 in EPS and $77.0 billion to $79.5 billion in revenue was mixed: revenue guidance is around expectations, while the earnings outlook sits below the consensus estimate of $30.17 EPS.
• Neutral Sentiment: On July 13, Wells Fargo lowered its price target on HCA to $428 from $436 but kept an “equal weight” rating, suggesting a cautious but not bearish stance from analysts.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,021,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,073,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 56.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 136,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,328,000 after acquiring an additional 49,214 shares in the last quarter. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.