HCA Healthcare to Report Q2 Earnings: Key Estimates to Note

Hospital operator HCA Healthcare, Inc. HCA is set to report second-quarter 2025 results on July 25, before the opening bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter’s earnings is currently pegged at $6.14 per share on revenues of $18.46 billion.The second-quarter earnings estimate remained stable over the past week. The bottom-line projection indicates an increase of 11.6% from the year-ago reported number. Also, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues suggests year-over-year growth of 5.5%.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchFor 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA Healthcare’s revenues is pegged at $74.6 billion, implying a rise of 5.7% year over year. The consensus mark for 2025 EPS is pegged at $25.26, implying an increase of 15% year over year. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.)HCA Healthcare has a robust history of surpassing earnings estimates, beating the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average surprise being 7.1%. This is depicted in the figure below.HCA Healthcare, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise HCA Healthcare, Inc. price-eps-surprise | HCA Healthcare, Inc. QuoteQ2 Earnings Whispers for HCA HealthcareHowever, our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for HCA this time. 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, which is not the case here.HCA currently has an Earnings ESP of -8.77% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.What’s Shaping HCA Healthcare’s Q2 Results?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA Healthcare’s second-quarter equivalent admissions indicates 2.9% year-over-year growth, which aligns with our model estimate. The consensus mark for revenue per equivalent admission signals a 2.9% rise from a year ago.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for equivalent patient days indicates 4.3% year-over-year growth. The consensus estimate for occupancy is pegged at 73.1%, up from 71.9% a year ago. While these factors are likely to have positioned HCA Healthcare for growth from the year-ago quarter, rising expenses and lower outpatient surgery cases make an earnings beat uncertain.Our model estimate for second-quarter total operating expenses indicates a 6.5% increase from a year ago due to higher salaries, benefits and supply costs. We expect supply costs to jump 5.3% in the to-be-reported quarter.The consensus estimate for outpatient surgery cases indicates a 2.2% year-over-year decline. Also, we expect the average length of stay to decline 1.4% from the year-ago period.Stocks That Warrant a LookWhile 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:Cencora, Inc. COR has an Earnings ESP of +1.49% and currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cencora’s bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter signals a 13.2% improvement from a year ago. Cencora beat earnings estimates in all of the past four quarters, with an average surprise of 6%.Tenet Healthcare Corp THC has an Earnings ESP of +6.68% and carries a Zacks Rank #3 at present.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tenet Healthcare’s bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter signals a 22.9% improvement from a year ago. Tenet Healthcare beat earnings estimates in all of the past four quarters, with an average surprise of 26.4%.Davita Inc DVA has an Earnings ESP of +6.67% and currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Davita’s bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter signals a 4.3% improvement from a year ago. Davita beat earnings estimates in three of the past four quarters, with an average surprise of 3.6%.One Big Gain, Every Trading DayTo help you take full advantage of this market, you’re invited to access every stock recommendation in all our private portfolios - for just $1.Zacks private portfolio services that closed 256 double and triple-digit winners in 2024 alone. That’s about one big gain every day the market was open. Of course, not all our picks are winners, but members have seen recent gains as high as +627% +1,340%, and +1,708%.Imagine how much you could profit with a steady stream of real-time picks from all our services that cover a number of strategies to suit a variety of investing and trading styles.See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report DaVita Inc. (DVA): Free Stock Analysis Report Tenet Healthcare Corporation (THC): Free Stock Analysis Report Cencora, Inc. (COR): Free Stock Analysis Report HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks