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HCA Healthcare

HCA
55
Medical - Care Facilities · Healthcare
Also trades as: 0J1R.L GBP 4.72 (+2.14%)
Price
$469.03
+1.72 (+0.37%)
Market Cap
$101.55B
Winston Score
55
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Oct 25, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

§How the score breaks down

Quality
Mixed
10/30
Growth
Strong
16/20
Cash Flow
Strong
8/10
Stability
Mixed
3/10
Valuation
Good
6/10
Ownership
Good
10/15
Dividends
Mixed
2/5

55 of 100 counted points = Winston Score 55.

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Share count falling — buybacks

−29.8% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 328.8M (2021) → 230.7M (2025)

§Winston Score History

The full picture

HCA Healthcare owns and operates a large network of hospitals, surgery centers, and outpatient clinics across the United States and United Kingdom. It serves patients needing emergency care, surgeries, cancer treatment, and other medical services. HCA is one of the largest for-profit hospital operators in the world, with roughly 180 hospitals and over 2,000 care sites.

HCA makes money by billing patients, private insurance companies, and government programs like Medicare and Medicaid for the medical services it provides. Most of its revenue comes from the U.S., with a smaller presence in the UK. Its scale gives it negotiating power with insurers and suppliers, which helps protect its margins. The main risk the business faces is reimbursement pressure — if government programs cut what they pay per patient, or if labor costs keep rising, profitability could shrink meaningfully.

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6 Congressional buys and 7 sells on HCA in the last 12 months.

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+8.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

Reported EPS Growth

+10.3% YoY

Quarterly reporting periods ended:

30 Jun 2025: $6.91

30 Jun 2026: $7.62

Reported/statutory EPS, not adjusted or underlying earnings. One-off items can affect this figure. Provider rounding can affect the growth rate.

YoY Growth Rate

Reported EPS increased year over year

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (18%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

32.4%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$1.8B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

HCA Healthcare is growing revenue at 9% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
15.2%
Thin — 15.2% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
15.2%
Healthy — 15.2% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
7.3%
Weak — 7.3% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+7.3%
Steady sales growth (+7.3% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+24.5%
Earnings growing fast (+24.5% YoY)

Healthy double-digit earnings growth — what compounders look like.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
7/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
163%
Turns 163% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
7.7%
Modest free cash flow (7.7%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
N/A
—
Data not available
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
5.21x
Adequate interest coverage (5.2x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
15.7x
Fair value — P/E 15.7

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+2.3
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow — slightly cheaper on forward P/E

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
0.68%
Small dividend — 0.68% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+8.5%
Dividend growing modestly (8.5% YoY)
Payout Ratio
10%
no trend
Pays out a modest share of profit and keeps the rest to reinvest. Room to keep paying through a weak year.

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