HCA (HCA) Q4 Earnings Preview: What You Should Know Beyond the Headline Estimates
Analysts on Wall Street project that HCA Healthcare (HCA) will announce quarterly earnings of $5.02 per share in its forthcoming report, representing an increase of 8.2% year over year. Revenues are projected to reach $16.55 billion, increasing 6.8% from the same quarter last year.
The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This represents how the covering analysts, as a whole, have reassessed their initial estimates during this timeframe.
Prior to a company's earnings release, it is of utmost importance to factor in any revisions made to the earnings projections. These revisions serve as a critical gauge for predicting potential investor behaviors with respect to the stock. Empirical studies consistently reveal a strong link between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock.
While investors usually depend on consensus earnings and revenue estimates to assess the business performance for the quarter, delving into analysts' forecasts for certain key metrics often provides a more comprehensive understanding.
Bearing this in mind, let's now explore the average estimates of specific HCA metrics that are commonly monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts.
Analysts predict that the 'Revenue per Equivalent Admission' will reach $17,197.66. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of $16,628.
Analysts forecast 'Equivalent Admissions' to reach 965.36 million. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 931.99 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Number of hospitals' of 183. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 182 in the same quarter last year.
The consensus among analysts is that 'Equivalent Patient Days' will reach 4,717.14 thousand. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 4,655.84 thousand in the same quarter of the previous year.
Analysts expect 'Admissions' to come in at 543.26 million. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 530.3 million.
It is projected by analysts that the 'Licensed Beds at End of Period' will reach 49,292. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 49,281.
The average prediction of analysts places 'Patient Days' at 2,613.57 Days. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 2,648.68 Days.
View all Key Company Metrics for HCA here>>>
Shares of HCA have demonstrated returns of +2.8% over the past month compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.5% change. With a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), HCA is expected to beat the overall market performance in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
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HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
