Opinions
Paul MacDonald
HCA Healthcare
HCA-N
Unspecified
May 09, 2023
Stock price when the opinion was issued
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(A Top Pick Aug 13/15. Down 11.51%.) This has been dead quiet over the course of the last year. It had a lift through November-February, and then basically has consolidated ever since. The group is actually starting to look quite interesting. The sector has been improving from a relative strength standpoint, since June. This could still be a Buy at these levels.
HCA is one of the largest hospital operators in the US, holding 28% of the market share. It managed the pandemic turmoil better than any other operator. Given the enormous capital requirements there is a high barrier to entry in the space. It trades at 18x earnings and management has been aggressively buying back shares and retiring debt. We recommend setting a stop-loss at $337, looking to achieve $465 -- upside potential of 18%. Yield 0.6%
(Analysts’ price target is $395.00)He's been recommending this post-Covid, because it's been benefitting from the huge bounce back in medical procedures that were delayed. HCA just made a new all-time high. But last Friday it reported a shocking top and bottom line miss. Is down 13% in the past week, but this is an opportunity. HCA missed only slightly, not the end of the world. Hurricanes hit revenues by $200-300 million and 60-90 cents per share, a one-off impact. HCA reaffirmed its full-year forecast, though
It is the largest hospital operator in the U.S. It is a defensive stock with consistent revenue but not consistent costs. It will continue to have issues with this and he wants to see more visibility on costs. It executes well.