HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $480.61 and last traded at $477.7060, with a volume of 389139 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $478.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded HCA Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $425.00 price objective on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $380.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $474.53.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $436.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $398.67. The stock has a market cap of $109.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.41.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. The business had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.90 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. Analysts predict that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s payout ratio is 11.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,105.73. This represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 3,836 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.84, for a total value of $1,606,670.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,194,716.52. The trade was a 10.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Company Profile

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.