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HCA gains after second-quarter earnings beat and steady full-year outlook

HCA Healthcare (HCA) is up 3.8% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The most likely driver is a solid second-quarter earnings report that showed faster revenue growth and higher per-share profit than a year earlier. The move also appears supported by management keeping its updated 2026 revenue outlook in place after previewing stronger quarterly results earlier this month.

Details:

  • HCA posted second-quarter 2026 revenue of about $20.23 billion, up 8.7% from the prior year quarter.
  • Diluted earnings per share rose to $7.62 from $6.83 a year earlier, pointing to stronger profitability despite a modest decline in adjusted EBITDA margin.
  • Adjusted EBITDA increased to about $4.03 billion from $3.85 billion, showing continued operating growth on a larger revenue base.
  • The company had already revised its 2026 guidance on July 14, setting a revenue range of $77.0 billion to $79.5 billion and EPS guidance of $28.70 to $30.50, so today’s reaction likely reflects investor relief that the final quarterly results backed up that outlook.
  • Sources:

    HCA Healthcare, MarketBeat, SquawkNews

    Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

    $HCA Insider Trading Activity

    HCA Insider Trades

    $HCA insiders have traded $HCA stock on the open market 12 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 12 have been sales.

    Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $HCA stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

    • SAMUEL N HAZEN (CEO) has made 0 purchases and 7 sales selling 42,877 shares for an estimated $21,483,274.
    • JENNIFER BERRES (SVP & Chief Human Res. Officer) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 8,020 shares for an estimated $4,126,950.
    • CHRISTOPHER F. WYATT (SVP & Controller) sold 4,000 shares for an estimated $2,020,000
    • MICHAEL R MCALEVEY (EVP & Chief Legal & Admin Off.) sold 1,694 shares for an estimated $903,536
    • MICHAEL S. CUFFE (EVP and Chief Clinical Officer) sold 1,500 shares for an estimated $747,135

    To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

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    $HCA Hedge Fund Activity

    We have seen 501 institutional investors add shares of $HCA stock to their portfolio, and 687 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

    Here are some of the largest recent moves:

    • CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS added 3,033,612 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,435,626,542
    • CAPITAL WORLD INVESTORS removed 3,026,993 shares (-60.5%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,432,494,167
    • SANDERS CAPITAL, LLC removed 1,507,023 shares (-14.4%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $713,183,564
    • BLACKROCK, INC. added 782,179 shares (+6.2%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $370,158,389
    • NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT CO removed 647,721 shares (-97.6%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $306,527,486
    • METROPOLIS CAPITAL LTD added 602,264 shares (+195.3%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $234,816,710
    • FMR LLC added 567,650 shares (+14.8%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $268,634,686

    To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

    $HCA Congressional Stock Trading

    Members of Congress have traded $HCA stock 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.

    Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $HCA stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

    To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard. You can access data on congressional stock trades through the Quiver Quantitative API Congress trades endpoint.

    $HCA Analyst Ratings

    Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $HCA in the last several months. We have seen 5 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

    Here are some recent analyst ratings:

    • Oppenheimer issued a "Outperform" rating on 01/28/2026
    • Truist Securities issued a "Buy" rating on 01/28/2026
    • Deutsche Bank issued a "Buy" rating on 01/28/2026
    • Barclays issued a "Overweight" rating on 01/28/2026
    • Jefferies issued a "Buy" rating on 01/28/2026

    To track analyst ratings and price targets for $HCA, check out Quiver Quantitative's $HCA forecast page.

    $HCA Price Targets

    Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $HCA recently. We have seen 16 analysts offer price targets for $HCA in the last 6 months, with a median target of $532.0.

    Here are some recent targets:

    • Andrew Mok from Barclays set a target price of $427.0 on 07/08/2026
    • Sarah James from Cantor Fitzgerald set a target price of $525.0 on 07/07/2026
    • Ryan Langston from TD Cowen set a target price of $431.0 on 06/22/2026
    • Lance Wilkes from Bernstein set a target price of $413.0 on 06/04/2026
    • David Macdonald from Truist Securities set a target price of $535.0 on 04/27/2026
    • Matthew Gillmor from Keybanc set a target price of $510.0 on 04/27/2026
    • Michael Wiederhorn from Oppenheimer set a target price of $520.0 on 04/27/2026

    This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.

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