HCA Healthcare's Q4 revenue slightly misses estimates, announces buyback

HCA Healthcare

27/01/2026 12:09

Overview

Healthcare provider's Q4 revenue rose 6.7% yr/yr, slightly missing analyst expectations

Net income for Q4 increased 30.6% yr/yr, driven by facility sales gains

Company announced $10 bln share repurchase program

Outlook

HCA Healthcare forecasts 2026 revenue between $76.5 bln and $80 bln

Company expects 2026 net income between $6.495 bln and $7.035 bln

HCA Healthcare projects 2026 EPS between $29.10 and $31.50 per share

Result Drivers

ADMISSIONS GROWTH - Same facility admissions increased 2.4%, supporting revenue growth

FACILITY SALES - Gains from facility sales contributed to net income increase

HURRICANE IMPACT - Previous hurricane impacts affected cash flows and operating expenses

Key Details

Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q4 Revenue
Slight Miss*
$19.51 bln
$19.68 bln (19 Analysts)
Q4 EPS
$8.14
Q4 Net Income
$2.16 bln


*Applies to a deviation of less than 1%; not applicable for per-share numbers.

Analyst Coverage

The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 15 "strong buy" or "buy", 11 "hold" and 1 "sell" or "strong sell"

The average consensus recommendation for the healthcare facilities & services peer group is "buy"

Wall Street's median 12-month price target for HCA Healthcare Inc is $498.50, about 5.5% above its January 26 closing price of $472.38

The stock recently traded at 16 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 15 three months ago

Press Release: ID:nBw65f26Ya

For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact RefinitivNewsSupport@thomsonreuters.com.

(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)