Oct 27 (Reuters) – Hospital operator HCA Healthcare beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by demand for medical services despite a rise in uninsured patients who lost coverage through health insurance exchanges.
The company’s adjusted profit was $7.22 per share in the quarter ended September 30, compared with analysts’ estimates of $6.66 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
“Despite the challenges brought about by federal policy changes this year, our colleagues have continued to provide high-quality care to patients, and we believe HCA Healthcare is positioned to end the year positively,” said CEO Sam Hazen.
Following the stronger-than-expected quarter, HCA said it now expects full-year 2026 financial results to track in the upper half of the forecast range it set in July, which projected annual profit between $28.70 and $30.50 per share on revenue of $77.0 billion to $79.5 billion.
HCA said same-facility admissions increased 2.7% and same-facility equivalent admissions rose 3.0%, while emergency room visits increased 5.1%.
Revenue rose 3.6% to $19.85 billion in the quarter, above estimates of $19.33 billion.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey and Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
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