HCA Healthcare (HCA), which operates 190 hospitals and around 2,400 ambulatory sites of care in the US and UK, said fourth-quarter revenues climbed to $18.29 billion, compared with $17.30 billion in the same period in 2023. The top line beat analysts’ expectations of $18.23 billion. This growth came in despite the company suffering a $200 million hit to its revenues as Hurricane Helene battered its North Carolina facilities and Hurricane Milton impacted its sites in Florida, leading to the postponement of procedures.
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The company said all of the affected facilities are now back up and running as normal. HCA shares were down by around 3% in mid-trading on Friday.
Earnings for the period were also affected by the two hurricanes but came in at $6.22 a share, up from $5.90 a year ago and again beating estimates of $6.13.
Aging Population Helps HCA Feel Healthier
HCA Healthcare said that same-facility admissions increased 3% year over year, while same-facility equivalent admissions increased 3.1%. Same-facility emergency room visits increased by 2.4%, and same-facility inpatient surgeries rose by 2.8%. However, same-facility outpatient surgeries declined by 1.3%.
The group is benefiting from an aging population and a trend for patients to be treated in ambulatory care facilities that don’t require overnight hospital stays.
HCA also announced an additional share repurchase program for up to $10 billion and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.72 per share, up from the $0.66 dividend paid in December.
HCA Provides Strong 2025 Guidance
HCA also provided some healthy-looking guidance, forecasting 2025 EPS of $24.05 to $25.85 versus a consensus of $24.58, with a sales outlook of $72.8 billion to $75.8 billion versus a consensus of $74.76 billion.
It expects a 2025 net profit of $5.85 billion to $6.29 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $14.30 billion to $15.10 billion.
Is HCA a Good Buy?
On TipRanks, HCA has a Moderate Buy consensus based on 10 Buys, five Holds, and one Sell rating. The highest target price is $460. HCA stock’s consensus price target of $382.08 implies 22% upside potential.
