Leerink Partnrs Lifts Earnings Estimates for HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Leerink Partnrs increased their Q2 2025 EPS estimates for shares of HCA Healthcare in a report released on Monday, April 28th. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $6.51 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $6.37. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $24.98 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q3 2025 earnings at $5.84 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $7.01 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $25.82 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $7.27 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $7.40 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $6.79 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $8.56 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $30.02 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $34.11 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $38.44 EPS and FY2029 earnings at $43.24 EPS.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $6.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.75 by $0.70. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 586.47%. The business had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.26 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.36 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $392.00 to $366.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $420.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $381.13.

HCA Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of HCA opened at $340.76 on Wednesday. HCA Healthcare has a twelve month low of $289.98 and a twelve month high of $417.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $330.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $331.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.51, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.07.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is currently 12.81%.

Insider Activity at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Jennifer Berres sold 9,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.59, for a total value of $3,075,250.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,971,757.08. This trade represents a 38.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 888.9% during the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 344.0% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.