HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Given New $573.00 Price Target at Leerink Partners

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) had its price target increased by research analysts at Leerink Partners from $507.00 to $573.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Leerink Partners’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 18.93% from the company’s current price.

HCA has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research cut shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 27th. Stephens lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.76.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HCA traded down $0.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $481.80. The stock had a trading volume of 19,542 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,101,804. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $481.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $436.60. The firm has a market cap of $109.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a twelve month low of $295.00 and a twelve month high of $527.55.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,105.73. This trade represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital World Investors raised its stake in HCA Healthcare by 3.8% during the third 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 bought a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,152,408,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 36,414 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,214,000 after purchasing an additional 690,773 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,124,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,267,000 after acquiring an additional 8,478 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HCA Healthcare News Summary

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.