Leerink Partnrs Weighs in on HCA Healthcare, Inc.’s Q2 2024 Earnings (NYSE:HCA)

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) – Analysts at Leerink Partnrs lifted their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for HCA Healthcare in a research note issued on Sunday, April 28th. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $5.44 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $4.98. The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $20.58 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for HCA Healthcare’s Q3 2024 earnings at $4.68 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $21.18 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $6.36 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $6.49 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $5.63 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $25.27 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $27.81 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $30.56 EPS.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $5.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.01 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.20% and a return on equity of 674.49%. The business’s revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.93 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. TD Cowen decreased their price target on HCA Healthcare from $371.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $356.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $316.59.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE:HCA opened at $309.80 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $323.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $296.11. HCA Healthcare has a 12-month low of $215.96 and a 12-month high of $335.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.26.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCA Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at HCA Healthcare

In related news, SVP Sammie S. Mosier sold 1,645 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total transaction of $513,240.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,385,552. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Sammie S. Mosier sold 1,645 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $513,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,646 shares in the company, valued at $2,385,552. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 4,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total value of $1,305,067.02. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 10,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,138,652.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,779 shares of company stock worth $2,421,814 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.16%.

HCA Healthcare declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.