We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
HCA Healthcare (HCA) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know
Read MoreHide Full Article
HCA Healthcare (HCA - Free Report) closed at $263.58 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.42% move from the prior day. The stock lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.96%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.81%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the hospital operator had lost 1.71% over the past month. This has lagged the Medical sector's loss of 1.32% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.19% in that time.
Investors will be hoping for strength from HCA Healthcare as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect HCA Healthcare to post earnings of $4.08 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 3.82%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $15.8 billion, up 5.52% from the prior-year quarter.
For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $18.44 per share and revenue of $63.86 billion, which would represent changes of +9.18% and +6.02%, respectively, from the prior year.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for HCA Healthcare should also be noted by investors. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.07% higher. HCA Healthcare is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking at its valuation, HCA Healthcare is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 14.23. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 13.31.
We can also see that HCA currently has a PEG ratio of 1.35. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. HCA's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.59 as of yesterday's close.
The Medical - Hospital industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 43, putting it in the top 18% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
HCA Healthcare (HCA) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know
HCA Healthcare (HCA - Free Report) closed at $263.58 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.42% move from the prior day. The stock lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.96%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.81%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the hospital operator had lost 1.71% over the past month. This has lagged the Medical sector's loss of 1.32% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.19% in that time.
Investors will be hoping for strength from HCA Healthcare as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect HCA Healthcare to post earnings of $4.08 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 3.82%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $15.8 billion, up 5.52% from the prior-year quarter.
For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $18.44 per share and revenue of $63.86 billion, which would represent changes of +9.18% and +6.02%, respectively, from the prior year.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for HCA Healthcare should also be noted by investors. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.07% higher. HCA Healthcare is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking at its valuation, HCA Healthcare is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 14.23. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 13.31.
We can also see that HCA currently has a PEG ratio of 1.35. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. HCA's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.59 as of yesterday's close.
The Medical - Hospital industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 43, putting it in the top 18% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.