HCA Q3 EPS Rises 4.5% to $7.27; Full-Year Guidance Points to Upper Half of $28.70-$30.50 Range
HCA sits 37% above its 52-week low of $353.99.
Summary
Q3 revenue rose 3.6% to $19.849 billion and adjusted EPS climbed 3.7% to $7.22, even after a roughly $400 million pre-tax hit from uninsured patients who lost exchange coverage. Full-year 2026 guidance now points to the upper half of the July ranges, with EPS of $28.70-$30.50.
Key Events · Earnings and Guidance · HCA
-
Q3 Revenue Up 3.6% to $19.849B
Net income fell 3.9% to $1.579 billion, yet a smaller share count lifted diluted EPS 4.5% to $7.27 and adjusted EPS 3.7% to $7.22.
-
Payer Mix Shift Costs ~$400M
Higher uninsured volume, primarily patients who lost coverage on health insurance exchanges, had an estimated $400 million unfavorable impact on pre-tax income in Q3.
-
Guidance Points to Upper Half of Ranges
Full-year 2026 guidance stands at revenue of $77.0-$79.5 billion, EPS of $28.70-$30.50 and Adjusted EBITDA of $15.4-$16.1 billion; results are now expected in the upper half of the ranges issued July 14, 2026.
-
$2.97B Buyback in Q3
The company repurchased 7.230 million shares for $2.970 billion in the quarter, leaving $4.240 billion under its repurchase authorization as of September 30, 2026.
Analysis · HCA · Industrial Applications And Services
The headline number is the $400 million pre-tax hit from patients losing exchange coverage, a cost HCA absorbed while still improving cost results and growing same-facility equivalent admissions 3.0%. Q3 revenue came in at $19.849 billion (+3.6%) and adjusted EPS at $7.22 (+3.7%). Management now expects full-year results in the upper half of the July 14 guidance ranges, implying EPS of $28.70-$30.50 and Adjusted EBITDA of $15.4-$16.1 billion. With $50.5 billion of debt on the balance sheet and a $2.97 billion quarterly buyback, that guidance affirmation is the swing factor for a stock trading at $485.
How filings like this one have moved
In the 30 days to Oct 27, 2026, 29.9% of the 1374 measured filings Wiseek scored 7 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was -0.12%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
Measured one observation per ticker per day, after exclusions. Current figures: Filing Impact Tracker · open dataset
At the time of this filing, HCA was trading at $485.00 on NYSE in the Industrial Applications And Services sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $100.7B. The 52-week trading range was $353.99 to $556.52. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.