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HCA Healthcare (HCA) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know
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HCA Healthcare (HCA - Free Report) closed at $247.26 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.48% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.02% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.2%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.22%.
Coming into today, shares of the hospital operator had lost 11.06% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector lost 2.7%, while the S&P 500 lost 2.86%.
Wall Street will be looking for positivity from HCA Healthcare as it approaches its next earnings report date. In that report, analysts expect HCA Healthcare to post earnings of $4.02 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 2.29%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $15.79 billion, up 5.46% from the prior-year quarter.
HCA's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $18.47 per share and revenue of $63.86 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +9.35% and +6.02%, respectively.
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. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.23% higher within the past month. HCA Healthcare currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Investors should also note HCA Healthcare's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 13.45. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.86.
Investors should also note that HCA has a PEG ratio of 1.28 right now. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Medical - Hospital was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.51 at yesterday's closing price.
The Medical - Hospital industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 41, which puts it in the top 17% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
To follow HCA in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know
HCA Healthcare (HCA - Free Report) closed at $247.26 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.48% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.02% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.2%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.22%.
Coming into today, shares of the hospital operator had lost 11.06% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector lost 2.7%, while the S&P 500 lost 2.86%.
Wall Street will be looking for positivity from HCA Healthcare as it approaches its next earnings report date. In that report, analysts expect HCA Healthcare to post earnings of $4.02 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 2.29%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $15.79 billion, up 5.46% from the prior-year quarter.
HCA's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $18.47 per share and revenue of $63.86 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +9.35% and +6.02%, respectively.
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. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.23% higher within the past month. HCA Healthcare currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Investors should also note HCA Healthcare's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 13.45. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.86.
Investors should also note that HCA has a PEG ratio of 1.28 right now. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Medical - Hospital was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.51 at yesterday's closing price.
The Medical - Hospital industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 41, which puts it in the top 17% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
To follow HCA in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.