HCA Healthcare is a health facilities operator based in Tennessee. It operates 186 hospitals as well as 2,000 care facilities including physician clinics, emergency rooms, surgery centers, and urgent care centers. HCA Healthcare’s facilities are spread out in 21 states as well as the UK. Recently, HCA Healthcare reported its third-quarter 2020 earnings results. The pandemic has forced many patients in the US and the UK to postpone elective procedures and non-urgent treatments. This trend has played on the financials of many healthcare companies. HCA Healthcare has also faced some challenges in this regard. However, there were some positive developments as well.
COVID Effects Will Still Persist
While there is plenty in the news about the arrival of vaccines and the eventual waning of the pandemic, COVID is still around. According to HCA Healthcare CEO Sam Hazen, “We believe it is reasonable to estimate around 4% to 5% of our 2021 admissions could be related to the virus. This factor suggests continued high levels of acuity and our overall mix of inpatient business, which should provide some support for current inpatient revenue trends.”
He further added, “On the outpatient side, as compared to 2019, we anticipate emergency room visits will be down in 2021, similar to this year. But like our inpatient business, we expect it to be more acute, which should drive higher revenue per visit, offsetting some of the volume decline. For outpatient surgeries, we are expecting some recovery over current levels, but we expect volumes to be down slightly.”
Performances Of Healthcare Stocks To Buy Right Now
HCA Healthcare’s stock has grown by around 7% over the past month. Interestingly, the stock has grown by 6.9% over the year 2020. So, the monthly growth is almost as much as the year-to-date growth. On a 5-year basis, the stock has performed quite well. It has gone from $66 in 2015 to $157 in December 2020. HCA currently trades at a 0.18% dividend yield and a P/E ratio of about 16.
