Reading the tape
NYSE: HCA
HCA Healthcare, Inc.
Healthcare · Medical - Care Facilities
Market Cap
$96.54B
52w High
$556.52
52w Low
$330.00
P/E
14.52
Volume
1.18M
Outstanding Shares
221.84M
Price vs Fundamentals
Why The Stock Is Moving
Fundamentals are supporting the moveHigh confidence
1Y Price: 22.96%Revenue (TTM): 6.71%FCF (TTM): 60.21%P/FCF: 26th pct
What changed
The stock rose 22.96% over the last year. Revenue grew 6.71% over the trailing twelve months. Operating margin moved from 15.15% to 15.67%. Free cash flow grew 60.21% over the trailing twelve months.
What the market seems to be pricing
The stock move broadly lines up with stronger business momentum, and the shares are still only around the 26th percentile of their historical P/FCF range.
What would invalidate this read
Operating margin is at 15.67%. Revenue grew 6.71% — this thesis depends on that trajectory holding. If revenue growth, margins, or free cash flow roll over while the stock keeps climbing, more of the move would be coming from multiple expansion than business progress.
Company profile
HCA Healthcare, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides health care services company in the United States.
CEOSamuel N. Hazen
SectorHealthcare
IndustryMedical - Care Facilities
Employees320,000
IPO dateMar 10, 2011
Valuation
Forward P/E—
EV/EBITDA10.05
Enterprise value$156.87B
Stock splits
No stock splits recorded for this ticker.
Profitability & growth
Revenue growth4.3%
Gross margin34.92%▲2.17%vs FY2024
Operating margin15.67%▲5.95%vs FY2024
ROE-112.56%▲51.17%vs FY2024
Analyst consensus
RatingBuy
Target price$527.45▲21.20%
30
Buy
14
Hold
2
Sell
Analyst ratings tend to be lagging indicators. Use as one signal among many.
Earnings
Full quarter-by-quarter history of actuals vs estimates. Switch into compare mode to inspect one metric year-over-year.
Next report
Jul 24, 2026
Q3 FY26 · EPS est $7.38 · Revenue est $19.36B
View
Dividends
$3.00/shareQuarterly5yr growth streakSafeHCA pays a dividend with a 0.69% declared yield, 5 consecutive years of growth, growing at 18.21% annually, covered 11.3× by free cash flow.
Declared Yield
0.69%
Annual Div / Share
$3.00
TTM $2.94
5yr CAGR
+18.21%
Doubles every ~4.1yr
Payout Ratio
10.04%
Safe
Dividend Growth Rate
3yr CAGR
+8.95%
5yr CAGR
+18.21%
10yr CAGR
-5.73%
Dividend Safety
10/10Safe
Dividend History
Annualized dividend cycles per share
YearAnnual DivYoY
2026$3.00+8.7%
2025$2.76+9.5%
2024$2.52+8.6%
2023$2.32+11.5%
2022$2.08+60.0%
2021$1.30-20.3%
2019$1.63+12.4%
Income Projection
Invest
$
Growth rate:
Reinvest dividends
Today
$7/yr
$1/mo
In 5 yrs
$12/yr+76%
$1/mo
In 10 yrs
$21/yr+211%
$2/mo
| Today | In 5 yrs | In 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|
$7/yr $1/mo | $12/yr+76% $1/mo | $21/yr+211% $2/mo |
Long-range projections use a capped 12% annual growth assumption.
Yield-on-cost grows from 0.69% → 2.14% over 10yr
Analysis
Dividend Strengths
Well-covered by free cash flow
The dividend is covered 11.3× by free cash flow, indicating the company generates sufficient cash to sustain and potentially grow the payout without straining its finances.
Strong dividend growth rate
The 5-year CAGR of 18.21% meaningfully outpaces inflation, compounding real income growth for long-term holders.
Risks to Watch
No strong risk signal stands out from the latest period pair.