HCA · NYSE · STOCK
HCA Healthcare (HCA) Stock Analysis
$429.11
52W $353.99 – $556.52
56/100
$92.92B
14.3
1.11
Is HCA Bullish or Bearish?
Bullish.
Innellis AI committee rates HCA Healthcare (HCA) Buy with a composite score of 56/100
, based on 6 analysts with 50% agreement.
Last updated August 24, 2026.
What Would Change This View
- Upgrade to Strong Buy
- Requires a committee score of 75.0 — +19.01 from today. Applies on the first day at or above the line; upgrades are never dampened.
- Downgrade to Watch
- Requires the score to fall below 55.0 — -0.99 from today. The band boundary is 60.0, but a one-step downgrade must clear a further margin first. A score oscillating around the line should not change the rating every night.
Executive Summary
The committee is genuinely divided. Growth Analyst sees a compelling case — eps growing 25.5% yoy. Risk Analyst remains cautious — high leverage (debt-to-equity 54.20) amplifies downside in a stress scenario. This disagreement is itself the signal — the setup is not clean in either direction.
Bull & Bear Case
Bull Case
- P/E of 12.9 is inexpensive for the broad market — Value
- ROE of 695.7% shows genuine earnings power backing the valuation — Value
- EPS growing 25.5% YoY — Growth
- Quarter-over-quarter growth rate is ACCELERATING, not just positive — Growth
- MACD histogram positive -- bullish momentum — Technical
- Weekly trend (sideways) confirms the daily trend -- multi-timeframe agreement — Technical
Bear Case
- Price-to-book of 97.3x prices in significant intangible value — Value
- Debt-to-equity of 54.20 adds balance-sheet risk to the value case — Value
- RSI at 72 is in overbought territory — Technical
- Price trading above the upper Bollinger Band -- stretched — Technical
- High leverage (debt-to-equity 54.20) amplifies downside in a stress scenario — Risk
- Current ratio of 0.97 is tight -- limited short-term liquidity cushion — Risk
Both cases are generated from quantitative data signals, not qualitative or
forward-looking judgement. They summarise what the numbers say today.
Price History (6M)
AI Investment Committee
Committee Consensus
As of August 24, 2026
Overall Committee Score
56/100
Agreement
50%
Analysts
6
Conviction
Contested
Sector Rank
Top 60%
of 192 Healthcare peers
Value Analyst
neutral
55
/ 100 · High confidence
Fair value -- neither a bargain nor obviously overpriced
+ P/E of 12.9 is inexpensive for the broad market
− Price-to-book of 97.3x prices in significant intangible value
Growth Analyst
bullish
70
/ 100 · High confidence
Strong, accelerating growth with consistent execution
+ EPS growing 25.5% YoY
Technical Analyst
neutral
54
/ 100 · High confidence
Mixed or range-bound price action
+ MACD histogram positive -- bullish momentum
− RSI at 72 is in overbought territory
Risk Analyst
bearish
32
/ 100 · Moderate confidence
Elevated risk from leverage, volatility, event exposure, or portfolio concentration -- size accordingly
− High leverage (debt-to-equity 54.20) amplifies downside in a stress scenario
Macro Analyst
bullish
65
/ 100 · Low confidence
Macro backdrop is supportive of risk assets generally, and this name's beta works in its favor
News Analyst
neutral
60
/ 100 · Low confidence
News flow is mixed or quiet -- no strong signal either way right now
Portfolio Manager
neutral
45
/ 100 · High confidence
Portfolio-level factors are mixed -- worth a deliberate sizing decision, not a default-size position
+ Portfolio position concentration is currently healthy
− Sector concentration is already high (HHI 3069.37)
Investment Thesis Evolution
Committee score moved marginally from 56.0 to 56.0.
Comparing 2026-08-23 to 2026-08-24 (1 day apart).
Technical Analysis
RSI (14)
72.2
Overbought
MACD Histogram
0.803
Bullish Momentum
Trend Direction
Sideways
Weekly: Sideways
Market Structure
Lh Ll
Support
$356.89
Resistance
$519.67
Bollinger %B
1.13
Above Upper Band
Price vs Moving Averages
EMA 9
$412.07
Above
EMA 21
$406.59
Above
EMA 50
$404.24
Above
EMA 200
$426.11
Above
Fundamental Analysis
Valuation
100
Growth
75
Profitability
41
Financial Health
50
Cash Flow
70
Valuation
P/E Ratio
14.3×
P/B Ratio
-14.55×
PEG Ratio
0.59
Dividend Yield
0.70%
52W High
$556.52
52W Low
$353.99
Quality & Growth
ROE
-11256.0%
ROA
1117.3%
Gross Margin
2835.5%
Operating Margin
1547.6%
Revenue Growth YoY
—
Debt / Equity
-7.42
AI Fundamental Assessment
P/E ratio of 14.3 (inexpensive relative to a 15-40x range); Price-to-book of -14.5x; PEG ratio of 0.6 (under 1.0 suggests growth is undervalued relative to price); Return on equity of -112.6%; Return on assets of 11.2%; Net margin of 8.8%; Gross margin of 28.4%; Current ratio of 0.78 (tight short-term liquidity); Debt-to-equity of -7.42; Free cash flow per share is positive (26.91); Most recent quarter beat estimates by 1.0%; EPS growth accelerating (-12.2% -> +6.6% QoQ); Average YoY EPS growth of 11.6%; Analyst estimates flat over recent quarters
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