HCA Healthcare to Report Q1 Earnings: Key Estimates to Note

Hospital operator HCA Healthcare, Inc. HCA is set to report first-quarter 2025 results on April 25, 2025, before the opening bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter’s earnings is currently pegged at $5.77 per share on revenues of $18.31 billion. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.)

The first-quarter earnings estimate remained stable over the past 60 days. The bottom-line projection indicates year-over-year growth of 7.7%. Also, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues suggests a year-over-year increase of 5.6%.

For 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA Healthcare’s revenues is pegged at $74.69 billion, implying a rise of 5.8% year over year. The consensus mark for 2025 EPS is pegged at $24.98, implying an increase of 13.8%, year over year.

HCA Healthcare beat the earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with the average surprise being 5.9%. This is depicted in the figure below.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

HCA Healthcare, Inc. price-eps-surprise | HCA Healthcare, Inc. Quote

Q1 Earnings Whispers for HCA Healthcare

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for the company this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That’s not the case here.

HCA has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

What’s Shaping HCA Healthcare’s Q1 Results?

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA Healthcare’s first-quarter equivalent admissions indicates 3.4% year-over-year growth, while our model estimate predicts a 3.5% increase. The consensus mark for revenue per equivalent admission signals a 2% rise from a year ago.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for equivalent patient days indicates 1.8% year-over-year growth. While these factors are likely to have positioned HCA Healthcare for growth from the year-ago quarter, rising expenses and lower occupancy rates make an earnings beat uncertain.

Our model estimate for first quarter total operating expenses indicates 5.8% increase from a year ago, due to higher salaries, benefits and supply costs. We expect supply costs to jump nearly 8% in the to-be-reported quarter.

The consensus estimate for occupancy is pegged at 72.68% down from 75.20% a year ago. Also, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for average length of stay indicates 2.4% decline from the year ago period.

Stocks That Warrant a Look

While an earnings beat looks uncertain for HCA Healthcare, here are some companies from the broader Medical space that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this time around:

Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc. ACRV has an Earnings ESP of +1.02% and is a Zacks #2 Ranked player.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Acrivon Therapeutics’ bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter indicates 21.9% improvement from the year-ago period. The estimate improved by 2 cents over the past month.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. TARS has an Earnings ESP of +2.74% and a Zacks Rank of 3.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tarsus Pharmaceuticals’ bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter indicates a 27.7% year-over-year improvement. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals beat earnings estimates in each of the past four quarters, with an average surprise of 16.6%.

Cencora, Inc. COR has an Earnings ESP of +0.91% and a Zacks Rank of 2.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cencora’s bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter signals a 7.1% improvement from a year ago. Cencora beat earnings estimates in all the past four quarters, with an average surprise of 4.9%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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