Will Rising Costs Hurt HCA Healthcare Q3 Earnings? Key Estimates Here

Hospital operator HCA Healthcare, Inc. HCA is set to report third-quarter 2025 results on Oct. 24, 2025, before the opening bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter’s earnings is currently pegged at $5.65 per shareon revenues of $18.5 billion.The third-quarter earnings estimate has remained stable over the past 60 days. The bottom-line projection indicates year-over-year growth of 11.9%. Also, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues suggests a year-over-year increase of 5.8%. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchFor 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA Healthcare’s revenues is pegged at $74.86 billion, implying a rise of 6% year over year. The consensus mark for 2025 EPS is pegged at $26.17, implying an increase of 19.2%, year over year.HCA Healthcare beat the earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with the average surprise being 7%. This is depicted in the figure below.HCA Healthcare, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise HCA Healthcare, Inc. price-eps-surprise | HCA Healthcare, Inc. QuoteQ3 Earnings Whispers for HCA HealthcareHowever, 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.What’s Shaping HCA Healthcare’s Q3 Results?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA Healthcare’s third-quarter equivalent admissions indicates 2% year-over-year growth, while our model estimate suggests a 3.1% increase. The consensus mark for revenue per equivalent admission signals a 3.4% rise from a year ago.The consensus estimate for occupancy is pegged at 73.4% up from 71.9% a year ago. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for equivalent patient days indicates 0.9% 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 average length of stay make an earnings beat uncertain.Our model estimate for third-quarter total operating expenses indicates a 5.9% increase from a year ago, due to higher salaries & benefits, supply costs and other operating expenses. We expect supply costs to jump 9.2% in the to-be-reported quarter.Both the consensus estimate and our model estimate for outpatient surgery cases suggest a 1.8% fall from a year ago. Also, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for average length of stay indicates a 1.2% decline 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:Select Medical Holdings Corporation SEM has an Earnings ESP of +8.58% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Select Medical’s bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter of 18 cents per share has witnessed one upward revision against no downward movement over the past month. The consensus mark for Select Medical’s revenues is pegged at $1.32 billion.Erasca, Inc. ERAS has an Earnings ESP of +5.66% and a Zacks Rank of 2.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Erasca’s bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter remained stable over the past week. Erasca’s earnings beat estimates in three of the past four quarters and met once, with an average surprise of 13%.Envista Holdings Corporation NVST has an Earnings ESP of +1.62% and a Zacks Rank of 3.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Envista’s bottom line for the to-be-reported quarter indicates 125% year-over-year growth. The company’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 16.5%.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the months ahead. They includeStock #1: A Disruptive Force with Notable Growth and ResilienceStock #2: Bullish Signs Signaling to Buy the DipStock #3: One of the Most Compelling Investments in the MarketStock #4: Leader In a Red-Hot Industry Poised for GrowthStock #5: Modern Omni-Channel Platform Coiled to SpringMost of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +171%, +209% and +232%.Download Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback free today.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 HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA): Free Stock Analysis Report Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM): Free Stock Analysis Report Envista Holdings Corporation (NVST): Free Stock Analysis Report Erasca, Inc. (ERAS): 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