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HCA (HCA) Q3 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates

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For the quarter ended September 2023, HCA Healthcare (HCA - Free Report) reported revenue of $16.21 billion, up 8.3% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $3.91, compared to $3.93 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $15.77 billion, representing a surprise of +2.80%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -1.51%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $3.97.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how HCA performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

  • Revenue per Equivalent Admission: $16,915 versus $16,547.13 estimated by four analysts on average.
  • Equivalent Admissions: 958.5 million compared to the 944.34 million average estimate based on four analysts.
  • Number of hospitals: 183 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 182.
  • Equivalent Patient Days: 4,655.25 thousand compared to the 4,577.18 thousand average estimate based on three analysts.
  • Admissions: 537.94 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of 530.75 million.
  • Average Length of Stay: 5 compared to the 5 average estimate based on two analysts.
  • Licensed Beds at End of Period: 49,279 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 49,148.
  • Same Facility - Equivalent Admissions: 946.44 thousand versus the two-analyst average estimate of 936.68 thousand.
  • Same Facility - Revenue per Equivalent Admission: $16,880 compared to the $16,791.54 average estimate based on two analysts.
  • Patient Days: 2,612.44 Days versus the two-analyst average estimate of 2,509.94 Days.
  • Number of freestanding outpatient surgery centers: 126 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 126.
View all Key Company Metrics for HCA here>>>

Shares of HCA have returned -5.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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