HCA Healthcare (HCA): analysis in plain words
Is HCA Healthcare cheap or expensive? How it makes money, whether it grows and its risks, explained in plain words and with its official accounts.
HCA Healthcare (HCA) is listed on the NYSE and we classify it in healthcare and pharma. Below are its key dated figures, how it makes money, how it compares with its sector, what works for and against HCA Healthcare according to those figures, and the questions people ask most about the stock. No buy or sell tips.
HCA Healthcare (HCA) key figures as of November 4, 2026
| Figure | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $510.70 | Last price on November 4, 2026 |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 16.9x | Price over earnings per share |
| Revenue growth | +3.6% | Latest quarter vs the same quarter a year earlier |
| Net margin (TTM) | 8.6% | Profit for every 100 of sales |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.3x | Years of operating profit to repay debt |
| Dividend yield | 0.67% | Annual dividend over price |
| Market cap | $106.7 billion | What the stock market values it at |
The HCA Healthcare figures come from Yahoo Finance, the same source the Fintols analysis uses, retrieved on November 4, 2026. Any HCA figure that is not available shows as N/A: we do not estimate it.
How HCA Healthcare makes money
HCA Healthcare runs hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, freestanding emergency rooms and other care sites across the United States, plus a smaller presence in the United Kingdom. It earns revenue by billing private insurers, Medicare, Medicaid and patients for treatment, with inpatient hospital care forming the core of the business.
Over the last 12 months, HCA Healthcare brought in revenue of $78.7 billion. For every 100 it sells, HCA Healthcare keeps 42.8 after the direct cost of what it sells (gross margin) and 14.8 after all operating costs (operating margin). With 230,000 full-time employees, that is about $342,000 of revenue per employee.
HCA Healthcare against its sector
To know whether a HCA Healthcare figure is high or low you have to put it next to similar companies. This table compares HCA Healthcare with the median of the 30 healthcare and pharma companies Fintols covers, with data as of November 4, 2026.
| Figure | HCA Healthcare | healthcare and pharma median |
|---|---|---|
| P/E | 16.9x | 31.3x (30) |
| Revenue growth | +3.6% | +8.3% (33) |
| Net margin | 8.6% | 14.9% (33) |
| Dividend yield | 0.67% | 1.52% (33) |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.3x | 1.6x (31) |
In short, against the typical healthcare and pharma company, HCA Healthcare trades on a lower P/E, grows more slowly and earns a thinner margin. By size, HCA Healthcare ranks number 18 of 28 healthcare and pharma companies quoted in USD on Fintols.
The bull case for HCA Healthcare
What works in favour of HCA Healthcare, according to its figures as of November 4, 2026:
- On a P/E basis HCA Healthcare trades cheaper than its sector: 16.9x its annual earnings, against 31.3x for the healthcare and pharma median (30 companies with data).
The main risk for HCA Healthcare
Debt is heavy: HCA Healthcare carries net debt equal to 3.3x its annual EBITDA. With high interest rates or a weak year, interest payments eat into what it can invest or pay out.
And, like the rest of healthcare and pharma, HCA Healthcare is exposed to a key drug losing patent protection or a clinical trial failing, plus government pressure on prices.
Frequently asked questions about HCA Healthcare
Is it a good time to buy HCA Healthcare stock?
Fintols does not tell you whether to buy or sell HCA Healthcare, and nobody knows what the price will do tomorrow. What we can show you is where it stands today. As of November 4, 2026, HCA Healthcare stock trades at $510.70, 8% below its 52-week high ($556.52) and 44% above its low ($353.99). Its P/E is 16.9x against a healthcare and pharma median of 31.3x, and 16.3x on the earnings analysts expect over the next 12 months. With HCA Healthcare, as with any stock, timing matters less than understanding the business, investing for the long run and not betting everything on a single company.
Does HCA Healthcare pay a dividend?
Yes. As of November 4, 2026, HCA Healthcare pays $3.12 per share a year, which at today's price is a yield of 0.67%. It uses 10% of its profit to pay it, which leaves room to keep paying it if profit dips. Its average dividend yield over the last five years is 0.77%. The healthcare and pharma median on Fintols is 1.52%.
Is HCA Healthcare stock expensive?
It depends on what you compare it with. On P/E, HCA Healthcare trades at 16.9x its last 12 months of earnings: cheaper than the healthcare and pharma median (31.3x). Including its debt, HCA Healthcare is valued at 9.6x its EBITDA (EV/EBITDA). A high P/E alone does not make HCA Healthcare expensive: it can be justified if earnings grow fast, and a low one can reflect a business in trouble.
Who are HCA Healthcare's competitors?
On Fintols we compare HCA Healthcare with Pfizer, Thermo Fisher and UnitedHealth, which are also in healthcare and pharma. As of November 4, 2026, Pfizer is worth $175.5 billion and trades on a P/E of 44.0; Thermo Fisher is worth $261.6 billion and trades on a P/E of 37.2; UnitedHealth is worth $367.5 billion and trades on a P/E of 23.4. Each has a side-by-side comparison with HCA Healthcare below.
HCA Healthcare competitors
- Pfizer (PFE) analysis · HCA Healthcare vs Pfizer comparison
- Thermo Fisher (TMO) analysis · HCA Healthcare vs Thermo Fisher comparison
- UnitedHealth (UNH) analysis · HCA Healthcare vs UnitedHealth comparison
To understand HCA Healthcare better
More companies like HCA Healthcare: healthcare and pharma stocks and S&P 500 companies. Open the full HCA analysis with its valuation and scenarios. Educational content about HCA Healthcare, not investment advice.