Fact based stock research
HCA (NYSE:HCA)

US40412C1018

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

HCA stock research in summary

hcahealthcare.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 28 (worse than 72% compared with investment alternatives), HCA (Health Care Facilities, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of HCA are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 95 (better than 95% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 27), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 10), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 28, is a hold recommendation based on HCA's financial characteristics. As the company HCA's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 95) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 27) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 10), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 95% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	95
Growth Rank	27
Safety Rank	10
Combined Rank	28

Country	USA
Industry	Health Care Facilities
Index	Dividends USA, D.J. US Health Care, S&P 500
Size class	XX-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: HCA

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	97	96	96	95
GROWTH
GROWTH	61	57	37	27
SAFETY
SAFETY	35	55	15	10
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	13	86	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	65	79	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better HCA is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	97	96	96	95
GROWTH
GROWTH	61	57	37	27
SAFETY
SAFETY	35	55	15	10
COMBINED
COMBINED	84	96	42	28

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of HCA the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives) for 2024, HCA shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for HCA. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price to earnings, P/E ratio) is 75 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 75% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning HCA's profit levels. The same is valid for the expected Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 97, and for Dividend Yield with a Dividend Yield Rank of 85. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the stock price is higher than average as regards expected revenues; only 57% of all competitors have an even higher stock price as regards to sales revenues (a Price-to-Sales Rank of 43). Profits, the level of invested capital, and dividend policy suggest that this stock is attractively priced. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 95, is a buy recommendation based on HCA's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since it is on the expensive side for Price-to-Sales, it may mean that HCA has pricing power in its distribution market because it can charge higher prices than its competitors. If this is the case, all four value indicators are positive signals for purchasing HCA shares. 9. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	69	53	50	43
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	97	73	82	75
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	100	100	100	97
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	86	81	85
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	97	96	96	95

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of HCA; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), HCA shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for HCA. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 45, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 55% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 1, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 47. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 53% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 71, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 71% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 27, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for HCA, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	31	24	34	45
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	13	70	45	47
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	29	46	1
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	82	91	55	71
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	61	57	37	27

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of HCA.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 10 (better than 10% compared with alternatives), the company HCA has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of HCA is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for HCA. Liquidity is at 51, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 51% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 23, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 77% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 8, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 92% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with alternatives), HCA has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	33	4	10	8
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	78	95	29	23
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	39	57	56	51
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	35	55	15	10

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of HCA and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	53	69	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	47	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	29	90	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	14	55	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	13	86	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for HCA.
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