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With a market cap of $82.01 billion, HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. Founded in 1968, the Nashville, Tennessee-based company operates general and acute care hospitals that offer medical and surgical services, emergency services, and outpatient services. The company is slated to report its fiscal first-quarter earnings for FY2025 on Friday, Apr. 25, before the market opens.
Ahead of the event, analysts expect HCA to report a profit of $5.77 per share on a diluted basis, up 7.7% from $5.36 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company beat Wall Street’s EPS estimates in all of its last four quarterly reports, which is impressive.
Its EPS of $6.22 in the previous quarter surpassed the consensus estimate by 4.2%, driven by higher admissions, emergency room visits, inpatient surgeries, and revenue per equivalent admission.
For the current year, analysts expect HCA to report EPS of $24.98, representing a 13.8% rise from $21.96 in fiscal 2024. Its EPS is expected to improve by 12.2% year over year to $28.03 in fiscal 2026.
HCA shares have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks, surging 1.9% compared to the S&P 500’s ($SPX) 3.2% gain. However, the stock has outperformed the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLV) 2.9% fall during the same period.
HCA stock declined 3.8% following its Q4 earnings release on Jan. 24. HCA announced a 5.7% increase in its revenues, which amounted to $18.3 billion. However, the company’s net income decreased 10.5% year-over-year to $1.4 billion, majorly caused by an unfavorable impact from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Analysts’ consensus opinion on HCA stock is reasonably bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Out of 25 analysts covering the stock, 17 advise a “Strong Buy” rating, one suggests a “Moderate Buy,” and six give a “Hold,” and the remaining analyst advocates a “Strong Sell.”
HCA's average analyst price target is $383.05, indicating a potential upside of 14.9% from the current levels.
On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
