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HCA vs UHS
Which Stock Would AI Choose? HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- HCA Healthcare (HCA) operates one of the largest hospital networks in the United States, delivering broader scale and diversified revenue streams compared to Universal Health Services (UHS).
- Recent market activity shows HCA maintaining relative stability with a positive year-to-date return, while UHS has experienced sharper year-to-date declines amid sector pressures.
- Both companies reported solid first-quarter 2026 results, with revenue growth for HCA and earnings delivery for UHS, though upcoming quarterly updates in late July will provide further clarity on trends.
- Valuation metrics indicate UHS trades at a lower multiple relative to HCA, potentially offering a contrast in risk-reward profiles for investors focused on hospital operators.
- Sector exposure to healthcare services, reimbursement policies, and operational efficiencies remains central to performance for both stocks in the current environment.
- Market sentiment reflects broader healthcare sector dynamics, with HCA showing more resilience in recent weeks versus UHS’s proximity to multi-month lows.
Introduction
Investors and traders evaluating hospital management companies often compare HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS) due to their shared exposure to the U.S. acute care sector. This comparison highlights differences in scale, financial positioning, and recent stock behavior, providing relevant insights for those assessing relative performance within healthcare services. Market participants monitoring reimbursement trends, volume recovery, and capital allocation strategies may find the analysis useful for portfolio positioning decisions.
HCA Overview and Recent Performance
HCA Healthcare (HCA) is a leading operator of hospitals and healthcare facilities across the United States and internationally. In recent weeks, the stock has traded near the $409 level following broader market volatility and sector-specific pressures. Year-to-date performance has remained modestly positive amid mixed analyst sentiment and index adjustments. First-quarter 2026 results showed revenue growth of 4.3% to $19.109 billion, supported by operational improvements and share repurchases. Factors influencing sentiment include upcoming earnings on July 24, 2026, and ongoing capacity expansions that could support longer-term positioning.
UHS Overview and Recent Performance
Universal Health Services (UHS) manages a portfolio of acute care hospitals and behavioral health facilities primarily in the United States. Recent market activity has placed the stock near $155, reflecting a notable year-to-date decline. First-quarter 2026 results included net income of $348.7 million and diluted earnings per share of $5.65, with continued share repurchases under its authorization program. Influences on performance include preparations for second-quarter earnings on July 27, 2026, and external factors such as Medicare reimbursement proposals that may affect operational outlooks in the near term.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
HCA Healthcare (HCA) benefits from greater scale as one of the largest U.S. hospital operators, providing diversified geographic exposure and stronger negotiating power with payers. In contrast, Universal Health Services (UHS) maintains a more concentrated footprint with notable behavioral health operations that can introduce different revenue stability dynamics. Recent momentum favors HCA with comparatively better year-to-date resilience, while UHS presents a lower valuation multiple that may appeal to value-oriented strategies. Risk factors for both include reimbursement policy changes and labor costs, though HCA’s larger size may buffer certain operational volatilities. Sector sentiment remains tied to healthcare utilization trends, with UHS showing proximity to 52-week lows versus HCA’s positioning below prior peaks but above recent troughs.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors such as trend consistency, relative valuation positioning, and recent momentum differentials, Tickeron’s AI would currently assign a higher probability of near-term outperformance to Universal Health Services (UHS) over HCA Healthcare (HCA). This assessment reflects UHS’s compressed valuation and potential catalysts around earnings, though both stocks face shared sector headwinds that warrant ongoing monitoring of volume and reimbursement data.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is HCA is a Buy and UHS is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
HCA’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileUHS’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- HCA’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- UHS’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
HCA’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while UHS’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- HCA’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- UHS’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
HCA (@Hospital/Nursing Management) experienced а -0.95% price change this week, while UHS (@Hospital/Nursing Management) price change was -1.74% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Hospital/Nursing Management industry was -2.36%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +10.99%, and the average quarterly price growth was +30.63%.
Reported Earning Dates
HCA is expected to report earnings on Jul 23, 2026.
UHS is expected to report earnings on Jul 27, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Hospital/Nursing Management (-2.36% weekly)Hospital/Nursing Management companies own and operate health care facilities. Their operations include nursing homes, acute care facilities, retirement centers and outpatient surgery centers. HCA Healthcare Inc., Alcon Inc. and Universal Health Services, Inc. are some major companies in this industry. Technology has been at the forefront of development of advanced solutions, including quicker diagnoses of complex conditions. Investments in new diagnostics, healthcare IoT, and other healthcare technologies continue to gather momentum in this industry.
| HCA | UHS | HCA / UHS | |
| Capitalization | 90.2B | 9.42B | 958% |
| EBITDA | 15.7B | 2.8B | 562% |
| Gain YTD | -12.605 | -28.476 | 44% |
| P/E Ratio | 14.01 | 6.50 | 216% |
| Revenue | 76.4B | 17.8B | 429% |
| Total Cash | N/A | N/A | - |
| Total Debt | 49.8B | 5.13B | 972% |
HCA | UHS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 50 | 50 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 9 Undervalued | 11 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 44 | 100 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 43 | 44 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 58 | 61 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 69 | 87 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 75 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
HCA's Valuation (9) in the Hospital Or Nursing Management industry is in the same range as UHS (11). This means that HCA’s stock grew similarly to UHS’s over the last 12 months.
HCA's Profit vs Risk Rating (44) in the Hospital Or Nursing Management industry is somewhat better than the same rating for UHS (100). This means that HCA’s stock grew somewhat faster than UHS’s over the last 12 months.
HCA's SMR Rating (43) in the Hospital Or Nursing Management industry is in the same range as UHS (44). This means that HCA’s stock grew similarly to UHS’s over the last 12 months.
HCA's Price Growth Rating (58) in the Hospital Or Nursing Management industry is in the same range as UHS (61). This means that HCA’s stock grew similarly to UHS’s over the last 12 months.
HCA's P/E Growth Rating (69) in the Hospital Or Nursing Management industry is in the same range as UHS (87). This means that HCA’s stock grew similarly to UHS’s over the last 12 months.
| HCA | UHS | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 64% | 4 days ago 43% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 55% | 4 days ago 58% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 72% | 4 days ago 67% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 69% | 4 days ago 68% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 63% | 4 days ago 69% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 65% | 4 days ago 65% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 69% | 12 days ago 69% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 62% | 5 days ago 69% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 50% | 4 days ago 56% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 61% | 4 days ago 67% |
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HCA and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HCA has been closely correlated with UHS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 68% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if HCA jumps, then UHS could also see price increases.
UHS and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, UHS has been loosely correlated with HCA. These tickers have moved in lockstep 64% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if UHS jumps, then HCA could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To UHS | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UHS | 100% | +0.24% | ||
| HCA - UHS | 64% Loosely correlated | -0.59% | ||
| THC - UHS | 57% Loosely correlated | -1.22% | ||
| PNTG - UHS | 40% Loosely correlated | +0.10% | ||
| CHE - UHS | 39% Loosely correlated | -0.38% | ||
| ENSG - UHS | 39% Loosely correlated | -0.20% | ||
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