HCA (HCA) Reports Q1 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say

For the quarter ended March 2024, HCA Healthcare (HCA) reported revenue of $17.34 billion, up 11.2% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $5.36, compared to $4.93 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +2.93% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $16.84 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $5.01, the EPS surprise was +6.99%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how HCA performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Revenue per Equivalent Admission: $17,666 compared to the $17,449.01 average estimate based on four analysts.

• Equivalent Admissions: 981.52 million compared to the 964.89 million average estimate based on four analysts.

• Equivalent Patient Days: 4,867.79 thousand versus the three-analyst average estimate of 4,758.83 thousand.

• Number of hospitals: 188 compared to the 187 average estimate based on three analysts.

• Licensed Beds at End of Period: 49,724 versus 49,285 estimated by two analysts on average.

• Same Facility - Equivalent Admissions: 960.77 thousand versus 949.98 thousand estimated by two analysts on average.

• Average Length of Stay: 5 versus 5 estimated by two analysts on average.

• Number of freestanding outpatient surgery centers: 121 versus 124 estimated by two analysts on average.

• Patient Days: 2,781.6 Days versus the two-analyst average estimate of 2,708.5 Days.

• Admissions: 560.87 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of 548.95 million.

View all Key Company Metrics for HCA here>>>

Shares of HCA have returned -5.8% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -3.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.

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