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

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 29.100-31.500 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 30.300. The company issued revenue guidance of $76.5 billion-$80.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $78.6 billion.

HCA Healthcare Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:HCA opened at $474.34 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $507.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $485.06. The stock has a market cap of $106.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.36. HCA Healthcare has a 12 month low of $321.39 and a 12 month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($0.04). HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 409.11% and a net margin of 8.97%.HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 30.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HCA has been the subject of several research reports. Leerink Partners increased their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $525.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp set a $503.00 price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $540.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $537.36.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total transaction of $747,135.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Christopher F. Wyatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.00, for a total transaction of $2,020,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,411,395. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,214 shares of company stock worth $7,797,595. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 58.5% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,872,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,214,000 after buying an additional 690,773 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 3,755.9% in the third quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 269,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,036,000 after buying an additional 262,912 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 83.3% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 399,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,951,000 after buying an additional 181,464 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 421.4% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 219,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,371,000 after purchasing an additional 177,223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abdiel Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 35.5% during the second quarter. Abdiel Capital Advisors LP now owns 646,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,568,000 after purchasing an additional 169,201 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

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.