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HCA Healthcare (HCA) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors

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HCA Healthcare (HCA - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $275.32, demonstrating a +1.71% swing from the preceding day's closing price. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.57%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.07%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.64%.

Shares of the hospital operator witnessed a gain of 5.27% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Medical sector with its gain of 4.53% and the S&P 500's gain of 4%.

The upcoming earnings release of HCA Healthcare will be of great interest to investors. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $5.02, showcasing an 8.19% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $16.55 billion, indicating a 6.77% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for HCA Healthcare. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the company's business operations and its ability to generate profits.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.01% lower within the past month. HCA Healthcare presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

With respect to valuation, HCA Healthcare is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 13.87. This valuation marks no noticeable deviation compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 13.87.

It's also important to note that HCA currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.45. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. The Medical - Hospital was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.62 at yesterday's closing price.

The Medical - Hospital industry is part of the Medical sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 29, placing it within the top 12% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.


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