Stock Analysis
HCA Healthcare, Inc.HCA
P/E 14.52×· 5Y range 7.69–20.58×· 59th percentile of history
Sector: Healthcare · Industry: Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec
AnalystsBuy30 analystsP/E 14.5× sits at the 59th percentile of its 5.086926762491444-year history.
Cash covers 2% of debt · Q2 2026.
PMP Verdict
Mixed fundamentals, fairly valued
Strengths
- Quality94
Risks
- Growth29
- Financial Health34
Mixed picture — no clear quality or value edge.
Market context
-2.1% today· Z 1.7σ
Bull Case
- ✓Piotroski F-Score 7/9 — high earnings quality
What's happening with HCA
Profile
Strong earnings quality and valuation; growth, financial health and profitability lag behind.
How is each axis scored?
- Valuation77/100 · Strong
- P/E vs own history (59th pct)12/25
- FCF yield (6.0%)20/25
- P/S (1.3x)25/25
- EV/EBIT (13.6x)20/25
- Growth29/100 · Weak
- Revenue CAGR (6.5%)12/25
- Net income CAGR (-0.6%)0/25
- EPS CAGR 5Y (7.6%)12/25
- Fwd implied growth (4.1%)5/25
- Profitability45/100 · Weak
- ROIC (18.4%)20/25
- ROE (n/a)0/25
- Net margin (8.8%)13/25
- Operating margin (14.1%)12/25
- Financial Health34/100 · Weak
- Altman Z (1.72)10/25
- Current ratio (0.99)6/25
- Interest coverage (5.0x)18/25
- Net cash / debt (D/A 80%)0/25
- Quality94/100 · Strong
- Piotroski F (7/9)22/25
- Beneish M (-3.07)25/25
- FCF conversion (88%)22/25
- Margin stability (σ 2.3%)25/25
- Moat68/100 · Moderate
- ROIC >12% years (10/10 yrs)25/25
- Median gross margin (12.5%)0/25
- FCF-positive years (10/10 yrs)25/25
- Worst-year net margin (worst 6.8%)18/25
Risk Flags
- ⚠Altman Z 1.7 — distress-zone balance sheet
About HCA Healthcare, Inc.
HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the United States. Show more
As of December 2025, the firm owned and operated 190 hospitals and over 2,500 outpatient facillities across 19 states and a small foothold in the United Kingdom.
Headquarters: NASHVILLE, TN · Employees: 320,000 · Website ↗
Price History
Weekly Candlestick Chart — up to 5Y
Key Metrics
Financial snapshot · Tap any metric for its definition and grade
TTM Snapshot
trailing twelve months · YoYValuation
77B+P/E (TTM)14.5xA
Grade A: CheapPrice / TTM EPS (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 7.7x–20.6x · 59th pct
P/FCF16.9xB
Grade B: FairPrice / Free Cash Flow per share (Finnhub). Inverse of FCF yield — negative when FCF is negative
FCF Yield6.0%A
Grade A: ValueTTM (OCF − CapEx) / Market Cap — vs own 5Y history: -0.3%–9.7% · 50th pct
P/S (TTM)1.27xA
Grade A: CheapPrice / TTM Revenue (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 0.8x–1.8x · 47th pct
EV/EBIT13.6xB
Grade B: FairEnterprise value / TTM EBIT (D&A not in our data) — capital-structure neutral — vs own 5Y history: 8.9x–18.9x · 46th pct
EV/Sales1.9xA
Grade A: CheapEnterprise Value / TTM Revenue (Finnhub) — capital-structure neutral sales multiple
Forward P/E14.0xA
Grade A: CheapPrice / next-year EPS estimate — shows whether the TTM multiple is rich or just front-loading growth
P/B RatioNeg. EquityC
Grade C: BuybacksPrice to Book Value. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
PEG Ratio1.55B
Grade B: FairFinnhub PEG — their P/E basis ÷ expected EPS growth. Suppressed when their P/E diverges >2× from our TTM P/E (different basis)
Dividend Yield0.67%A
Grade A: PaysTTM dividend yield (Finnhub) — annual dividends / price. None = no dividend; very high yield can signal distress
Payout Ratio10.0%A
Grade A: SafeDividends / Net Income (Finnhub) — share of earnings paid out; >90% or negative = unsustainable
Profitability
45D+ROIC18.4%A
Grade A: MoatNOPAT (EBIT less ~21% tax) / invested capital (equity + debt − cash). Flagship quality metric — durable >15% signals a moat
ROENeg. EquityC
Grade C: BuybacksReturn on Equity. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
ROA11.2%A
Grade A: StrongReturn on Assets (Finnhub) — Net Income / Total Assets; how efficiently assets produce profit
Net Margin8.8%C
Grade C: AverageNet Income / Revenue
Operating Margin14.1%C
Grade C: AverageTTM EBIT / TTM Revenue
Gross Margin12.7%D
Grade D: LowGross Profit / Revenue
FCF Margin7.7%D
Grade D: LowFCF / Revenue
True FCF Margin7.2%C
Grade C: AverageTTM (OCF − CapEx − SBC) / TTM Revenue — SBC treated as a real cost
Growth
29ERevenue CAGR6.5%C
Grade C: OkCompound annual revenue growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
Net Income CAGR-0.6%D
Grade D: LowCompound annual net income growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
EPS CAGR (5Y)7.6%C
Grade C: OkCompound annual EPS growth over up to 5Y of per-share earnings (own statements). Null when either endpoint EPS ≤ 0
Implied EPS Growth4.1%B
Grade B: LowAnalyst forward EPS (normalized basis) vs our GAAP TTM EPS — different bases, so extreme values usually mark cyclically depressed TTM earnings, not real growth
Dilution (5Y)-35.9%A
Grade A: BuybacksShare count change over 5Y
SBC / Net Income5.5%A
Grade A: LowStock-based comp/Net income. >30% = dilution risk
SBC / Revenue0.5%A
Grade A: LowTTM stock-based comp / TTM Revenue
Financial Health
34DAltman Z-Score1.72D
Grade D: DistressBankruptcy risk. >3 Safe, <1.8 Distress
Current Ratio0.99xD
Grade D: LowCurrent Assets/Liabilities
Quick Ratio0.90xC
Grade C: Ok(Current Assets − Inventory) / Current Liabilities (Finnhub) — stricter liquidity test, excludes inventory
Interest Coverage5.0xC
Grade C: OkEBIT/Interest. >10 Strong
Debt Repayment8.4yC
Grade C: AverageYears to repay net debt via FCF
Net Debt/EBIT4.6xD
Grade D: HighLeverage. <2x Low, >4x High
Debt/Equity—
Debt / Equity: <1 Conservative, >2 Risky. Not meaningful with non-positive equity; shown as unavailable rather than low debt.
Cash / Debt0.02xD
Grade D: ThinCash covers how much of total debt. >1 = could repay all debt from cash
Quality
94A+Piotroski F-Score7/9A
Grade A: StrongFinancial strength 0–9. >7 Strong
Beneish M-Score-3.07A
Grade A: SafeEarnings manipulation risk. < -2.22 Safe
FCF Conversion87.7%A
Grade A: StrongFCF / Net Income
Margin Stability2.3%A
Grade A: StableEBIT margin std deviation. Lower = stable
Capex / Revenue6.6%C
Grade C: AverageTTM CapEx / TTM Revenue — high % = capital-hungry business
Asset Turnover1.27xA
Grade A: HighRevenue / Total Assets (Finnhub) — how efficiently the asset base generates sales
Insider Transactions
SEC Form 4 · 8 recordsP/S codes are the directional signal; grants, option exercises and tax withholding carry none. Form 4 doesn't flag 10b5-1 plans — scheduled sales may appear within open-market sells.
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
McAlevey Michael R Filed | McAlevey Michael R | SellJ | -7769 | |
Marks Mike A Filed | Marks Mike A | Gift | +3.3K | |
Marks Mike A Filed | Marks Mike A | Gift | -3336 | |
Smith Andrea B Filed | Smith Andrea B | Grant / award | +509 | |
Frist William R Filed | Frist William R | Grant / award | +809 |
Show 3 more filingsShow fewer filings
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Riley Wayne Joseph Filed | Riley Wayne Joseph | Grant / award | +509 | |
Johnston Hugh F Filed | Johnston Hugh F | Grant / award | +809 | |
FRIST THOMAS F III Filed | FRIST THOMAS F III | Grant / award | +1.0K |
More metrics — Moat, Per Share, Balance Sheet, MarketHide additional metrics
Moat
68BROIC >12% Years10/10 yrsA
Grade A: DurableShare of completed fiscal years with ROIC > 12% — measures multi-year capital-return durability
Gross Margin (Med.)12.5%D
Grade D: WeakMedian annual gross margin across available fiscal years — pricing-power durability
FCF-Positive Years10/10 yrsA
Grade A: DurableShare of completed fiscal years with positive free cash flow
Net Margin Floor6.8%A
Grade A: DurableWeakest annual net margin across completed fiscal years — recession/downcycle resilience
Per Share
EPS (TTM)$31.59
Own TTM net income / shares — same earnings basis as P/E
Cash / Share$4.65
Cash & short-term investments per share (Finnhub)
Book Value / Share$0.74
Shareholders' equity per share (Finnhub). Negative = accumulated losses / heavy buybacks
Balance Sheet
Total Debt$51.55B
Total debt obligations (short + long term)
Cash & Equiv.$1.13B
Cash and short-term investments
Net Debt$50.42B
Total Debt minus Cash. Negative = Net Cash position
Total Equity$-3.21B
Shareholders' equity (book value)
Asset / Liability0.95xD
Grade D: RiskyTotal Assets / Total Liabilities
Market
Market Cap$99.34B
Current Market Capitalization
Beta1.12B
Grade B: MarketPrice sensitivity vs the market (Finnhub) — 1.0 moves with market, >1.2 amplifies swings
How grades work: each metric is graded A–D against fixed thresholds (tap a row for the meaning). Card grades map the pillar score to A+–E — a card grade is that pillar's own score, not an average of the rows shown.
Financials as of Jun 2026 · Ratio snapshot Oct 17, 2026
Key Insights: HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA)
HCA is down 2.06% at the last close. HCA Healthcare, Inc. meets 7 of 9 Piotroski F-Score criteria, placing its fundamental strength in the top tier of US-listed stocks. Altman Z-Score of 1.72 is below the 1.81 distress threshold — an elevated financial-risk flag.
- Beneish M-Score of -3.07 suggests a low likelihood of earnings manipulation.
- Takes ~8.4 years to repay net debt from free cash flow.
- At a valuation score of 77/100, HCA trades near the cheapest end of its own historical range (P/E 14.5).
See how HCA ranks on the Capex Tracker — top 50 capital spenders compared.
Recent Market Moves
See all HCA moves →| Date | Session | Price | Move | Z-Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16 | Regular | 455.21 | -2.84% | -2.27 |
| Sep 22 | Regular | 442.27 | +3.83% | 2.43 |
Frequently Asked Questions about HCA
What is the current HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) stock price?
HCA is trading at $458.84 at the last market close, down 2.06% on the session. PreMarketPrice tracks HCA pre-market, intraday and after-hours prices.
Is HCA stock a buy right now?
PreMarketPrice's quantitative model rates HCA Healthcare, Inc.'s financial health at 34/100. This is a data-driven snapshot of fundamentals, not investment advice.
Is HCA stock overvalued?
HCA Healthcare, Inc. trades at a trailing P/E of 14.5 and our valuation score rates it 77/100 (higher = cheaper vs. its own history). See the Valuation History and Key Metrics sections for forward P/E, EV/EBITDA and PEG context.
When does HCA Healthcare, Inc. report earnings?
No confirmed earnings date is currently scheduled for HCA. The Earnings section lists recent reports and updates as dates are announced.
What sector does HCA Healthcare, Inc. operate in?
HCA Healthcare, Inc. operates in the Healthcare sector, within the Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec industry. The Related Stocks section lists sector peers for comparison.
What does HCA Healthcare, Inc. do?
HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the United States.
About HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) Stock
HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) is a US-listed stock operating in the Healthcare sector, specifically the Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec industry. As of the latest update, HCA Healthcare, Inc. is trading at $458.84, down 2.06% on the day with a market capitalization of $99.3 billion. The financial health score for HCA is 34/100, which indicates weak financial strength based on profitability, leverage, liquidity, and growth metrics. This page provides real-time pre-market pricing, earnings calendar, financial health analysis, and valuation metrics for HCA stock.
HCA Stock Analysis & Key Metrics
On PreMarketPrice, you can track HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) across multiple dimensions:
- Pre-market price & movement: Real-time HCA stock price with percentage change, updated continuously during pre-market and regular trading hours.
- Valuation & P/E history: Historical P/E, P/S, and P/B ratios for HCA with trend analysis and normalized valuation multiples.
- Financial statements: Revenue, net income, assets, liabilities, and equity for HCA Healthcare, Inc. across multiple reporting periods.
- Financial health score: A composite score of 34/100 based on Altman Z-Score, Piotroski F-Score, profitability, and leverage metrics for HCA.
- Sector peers: Compare HCA against 5 other healthcare stocks on key financial metrics.
Is HCA a Good Stock to Buy?
This page provides data-driven analysis to help you evaluate HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) as an investment. The financial health score of 34/100 suggests weak financial fundamentals. Valuation metrics show whether the stock is trading above or below its historical average.However, this is not financial advice — always do your own research before investing.
Data on this page is sourced from real-time market feeds, Polygon.io, and Finnhub.HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) trades on NYSE/NASDAQ. Pre-market trading occurs 4:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET. Regular market hours are 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET.