Where it trades today
trading 36% of the way up its 52-week range
How the price has moved
What to weigh before acting
What Matters Now
- The read on the stock is often driven by pipeline durability, reimbursement pressure, and whether new launches can offset patent cliffs.
- HCA trades at 14.3x earnings versus 22.0x for the sector, which means the rerating case depends on proving the discount is too harsh.
- Recent realized volatility is running around 29.9%, above the sector norm of 22.0%, so position sizing matters more than usual.
- Relative performance versus UNH, JNJ, PFE matters here because leadership inside healthcare rarely stays static for long.
Portfolio Use Case
- HCA is more useful for investors comparing conviction names inside healthcare than for someone looking for a passive “set and forget” holding.
- The risk profile looks balanced enough for a diversified core-plus portfolio, provided the position size reflects sector concentration.
- The stock becomes more useful when paired with an explicit catalyst watchlist, because sector sentiment can shift quickly around policy, rates, or pipeline news.
What Would Change the View
- Volatility is already above the sector norm, so even a correct long-term thesis can be painful if the position size is too aggressive.
- The view would need revisiting if peers such as UNH, JNJ, PFE start winning the marginal flow or posting cleaner operating momentum.
Methodology
- Price, market cap, beta, yield, and liquidity fields for HCA come from Yahoo Finance quote and summary data.
- 30-day volatility is calculated from recent daily returns and annualized using a 252-trading-day convention.
- Sector context uses stored benchmark averages for Healthcare so each page compares the ticker against a stable peer baseline rather than against the whole market.
- Peer comparisons use the Portfolio Terminal coverage set and highlight nearby listed alternatives such as UNH, JNJ, PFE.
Sources
- Yahoo Finance quote dataopen →
Live quote, valuation, beta, yield, and volume fields used for HCA. Last refresh: Sep 18, 2026, 10:56 PM.
- Portfolio Terminal methodologyopen →
Explains how analytics, refresh cadence, and portfolio interpretation work across the product.
- Peer set and coverage context
Comparative context for this page is anchored around nearby tracked names such as UNH, JNJ, PFE.
What HCA Healthcare does
HCA Healthcare, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides health care services in the United States. The company owns, manages, and operates hospitals, ASCs, freestanding emergency care facilities, urgent care facilities, walk-in clinics, diagnostic and imaging centers, radiation and oncology therapy centers, as well as rehabilitation and physical therapy centers, physician practices, home health agencies, hospices, outpatient physical therapy providers, home and community-based services providers, and various other facilities. Its general and acute care hospitals offer medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic services, and emergency…
Employees
230,000
Industry
Medical Care Facilities
Headquarters
Nashville, United States
What analysts expect
HCA carries a buy consensus from 21 analysts, with an average price target of $452.67 versus $427.71 today (+5.8%). Targets are estimates and can move quickly after earnings.
Consensus aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Targets are estimates, not forecasts.
How the business is doing
HCA generated $78.01B in trailing revenue (8.7% year over year), with a 8.8% net margin, and $3.74B of free cash flow, against $50.42B of net debt.
The numbers, year by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Gross profit | Operating income | Net income | EPS | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $75.60B | $31.37B | $11.96B | $6.78B | $30.20 | $7.69B |
| 2024 | $70.60B | $28.68B | $10.55B | $5.76B | $23.04 | $5.64B |
| 2023 | $64.97B | $25.58B | $9.63B | $5.24B | $19.74 | $4.69B |
| 2022 | $60.23B | $23.18B | $9.05B | $5.64B | $19.43 | $4.13B |
When it reports next
Estimates aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Dates move and estimates change until the report lands.
How it sits in healthcare
Defensive sector including pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical devices, and healthcare services.
The companies it competes with
HCA beside the healthcare names it is usually measured against.
What the chart is saying
HCA Healthcare trades at $427.71, 23.1% below its 52-week high. With a beta of 1.11, it shows about average sensitivity to what the wider market does.
Questions people ask about it
Is HCA a good buy right now?
HCA Healthcare trades at 14.3x earnings. This is below market average, potentially undervalued. Current risk level is Medium based on 29.9% volatility.
Does HCA pay dividends?
Yes, HCA Healthcare offers a dividend yield of 0.73%. That is roughly $3.12 per share a year.
How volatile is HCA?
With 30-day annualized volatility of 29.9% and beta of 1.11, HCA is classified as Medium risk. Expect larger swings than the broader market during volatile periods.
What is the analyst price target for HCA?
The average analyst price target for HCA Healthcare (HCA) is $452.67 based on 21 analyst estimates, about 5.8% above the current price of $427.71. The published range runs from $380.00 to $579.00.
How much revenue does HCA generate?
HCA Healthcare reported $78.01B in trailing twelve-month revenue. Revenue growth is running at 8.7% year over year. Net margin sits at 8.8%. Figures are aggregated from company filings by Yahoo Finance and refresh on an hourly cadence.