What Is Happening With HCA Healthcare Stock?

October 29th, 2025 by Trefis Team
HCA: HCA Healthcare logo
HCA
HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare (HCA)’s stock jumped 32%, powered more by a sharp 23% surge in its P/E multiple than modest gains in revenue and margins. Behind the rally: stronger-than-expected Q2 and Q3 earnings, boosted guidance, analyst upgrades, and smart capital moves—all sparking renewed investor confidence.

  7302025 10282025 Change
Stock Price ($) 354.4 466.5 31.6%
Change Contribution By LTM LTM
Total Revenues ($ Mil) 71,585.0 72,698.0 1.6%
Net Income Margin (%) 8.1% 8.2% 1.7%
P/E Multiple 15.1 18.7 23.4%
Shares Outstanding (Mil) 246.9 239.2 3.1%
Cumulative Contribution 31.5%

So what is happening here? The stock surged 32%, driven mainly by a 23% boost in P/E multiple, alongside modest revenue and margin increases of 1.6% and 1.7%, setting the stage for deeper business insights.

Before we get into details of events that led to stock surge, here is what market wisdom says: Markets swing. Quality endures. See how High Quality Portfolio stays balanced.

Here Is Why HCA Healthcare Stock Moved

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  • Q2 Earnings Beat: HCA reported Q2 diluted EPS of $6.83 (+23.5% YoY) on $18.6B revenue, beating forecasts.
  • Q3 Earnings Outperform: HCA reported Q3 diluted EPS of $6.96 (+42.6% YoY) on $19.16B revenue, beating estimates.
  • Raised FY25 Guidance: HCA raised full-year 2025 revenue outlook to $75B-$76.5B and net income to $6.5B-$6.72B.
  • Analyst PT Upgrades: Multiple firms raised price targets, including Goldman Sachs to $520 and UBS to $525.
  • Capital Allocation: HCA repurchased $2.5B in Q3 shares and declared a $0.72 quarterly dividend.

Our Current Assesment Of HCA Stock

Opinion: We currently find HCA stock fairly priced. Why so? Have a look at the full story. Read Buy or Sell HCA Stock to see what drives our current opinion.

Risk: To get a handle on HCA’s risk, check how far it fell in past market crashes. During the 2018 correction, it dropped about 23%. The Covid pandemic hit much harder, with a sharp 55% decline. Then the inflation shock pulled it down nearly 40%. These dips show that even with solid fundamentals, HCA isn’t immune to significant pullbacks when broader markets get rattled. Good quality stocks help, but big shocks still take a toll.

Picking winners on a consistent basis is not an easy task – especially given the volatility associated with a single stock. Instead, the Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio, with a collection of 30 stocks, has a track record of comfortably outperforming the S&P 500 over the last 4-year period. Why is that? As a group, HQ Portfolio stocks provided better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index; less of a roller-coaster ride, as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.