HCA Healthcare (HCA)
NYSEHealth CareMedical - Care FacilitiesSnapshot 2026-10-29
$473.19-1.02%
Close 2026-10-30 · 1-day change
NYSEHealth CareMedical - Care FacilitiesSnapshot 2026-10-29
Research Workspace
Put HCA beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Health Care is in steady. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar under pressure — Achieve 2026 revenue near $77.25 billion: Revenue: $19.85B.
View ThesisRevenue is growing steadily — about 7% over the past year.
View GrowthRanks among the strongest in its industry on quality — around the top 16%.
View QualityManagement screens strong on capital allocation, earnings delivery, the balance sheet, market reaction to earnings.
View ManagementExpectations look reasonable — what the market is pricing in sits in line with or below what analysts forecast.
View ValuationModerate volatility — typically moves about 1% a day.
View RiskHCA’s case rests on strong recent performance and supportive healthcare trends, despite mixed earnings quality. Revenue growth slowed from 9.0% to 3.6% year over year, though Q3 earnings beat estimates. HCA trades at 16× P/E versus a 23× peer median, and expectations look modest versus our view. The peer comparison is a weak guide because quality does not explain valuation multiples in this sub-industry. Falling Medicaid payments and exchange headwinds pressure the growth outlook; our model puts the next-quarter miss probability near 20%. peer multiples imply a price about 8% above where it trades; the thesis is on watch. This read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-30. HCA is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 27 analysts currently covering HCA (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 15 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for HCA in the last 4 months.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HCA Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 11 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-29. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Health Care Facilities — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put HCA next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Threatens: Reaffirm 2026 revenue and earnings guidance
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-30. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $473.19
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $473.19.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Below average on quality vs scored peers
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Lower Medicaid supplemental benefits pressure earnings despite projected volume growth, challenging the 2026 growth outlook.
Threatens: Reaffirm 2026 revenue and earnings guidance
Flat 2027 earnings outlook and falling Medicaid payments challenge the growth trajectory and earnings guidance.
Advances: Reaffirm 2026 revenue and earnings guidance
Earnings and revenue beat estimates, supporting growth objectives without confirming full-year guidance.
Threatens: Reaffirm 2026 revenue guidance
Exchange headwinds could impact 2026 revenue guidance.
Threatens: Reaffirm 2026 revenue guidance
2026 guidance cut impacts growth expectations.
Investigation poses risks to shareholder value and trust.
Guidance cuts indicate potential revenue and earnings pressure.
Acquisition expands market presence and supports growth objectives.