It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors.
While you may have an investing style you rely on, finding great stocks is made easier with the Zacks Style Scores. These are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on value, growth, and/or momentum characteristics.
Different than growth or momentum investors, value-focused investors are all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under what their true value is before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, and Price/Cash Flow to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.
HCA Healthcare is the largest non-governmental operator of acute care hospitals in the United States. Headquartered in Nashville, TN, it operates hospitals and related health care entities. At the end of 2024, the company operated 190 hospitals and approximately 2,400 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding emergency rooms, urgent care centers and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom.
HCA sits at a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), holds a Value Style Score of A, and has a VGM Score of A. Compared to the Medical - Hospital industry's P/E of 9.7X, shares of HCA Healthcare are trading at a forward P/E of 13.3X. HCA also has a PEG Ratio of 1.1, a Price/Cash Flow ratio of 9.3X, and a Price/Sales ratio of 1.1X.
Many value investors pay close attention to a company's earnings as well. For HCA, three analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.09 to $25.04 per share for 2025. Per share HCA boasts an average earnings surprise of 7.1%.
Investors should take the time to consider HCA for their portfolios due to its solid Zacks Ranks, notable earnings and valuation metrics, and impressive Value and VGM Style Scores.
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HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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