Quality score · HCA · Healthcare

Is HCA Healthcare, Inc. a quality business?

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) scored on five pillars from its reported financial statements, and ranked against 212 Healthcare companies.

6.1/ 10
Solid quality
as of October 19, 2026
Profitability
4.6 Average
Solvency
4.8 Average
Growth
5.4 Average
Efficiency
9.2 Strong
Predictability
7.7 Strong
Strongest pillar: Efficiency · Weakest: Profitability

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) scores 6.1 out of 10 as of , computed from its reported financial statements. That reads as solid quality. The reading rests on efficiency, and profitability is what holds it back.

Data provided by Twelve Data. Scores are computed by Lemma Analysis from reported financials.

Does HCA Healthcare, Inc. have an economic moat?

Not enough data

We cannot judge HCA Healthcare, Inc. yet, because fewer than five years had both a return on capital and a cost of capital we could measure. This is not a “no”.

Quantitative signs of a moat, read from the filed statements. This is not a judgement of where it comes from (brand, network effects, switching costs). How Lemma measures a moat →

How HCA Healthcare, Inc. scores

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) has a Lemma Quality Score of 6.1 out of 10 as of October 19, 2026, which reads as solid quality. A solid reading is a respectable business with clear strengths and at least one area that falls short of the best in its field. Five pillars feed it, and every one of them is computed from what the company reported rather than from its share price.

Ranked with the 212 Healthcare companies Lemma publishes, the score sits at the 77th percentile, in the top quarter of its peers. For reference, the middle of the group scores 4.4 and a company needs 6.0 to reach its top quarter, which leaves HCA Healthcare, Inc. well above the median.

Pillar by pillar

Profitability

HCA Healthcare, Inc.’s profitability score is 4.6 out of 10 (average). Against a median of 2.7 among 210 Healthcare companies, that is well above the group and the 67th percentile. Profitability in the middle of the range is neither a moat nor a warning: margins and returns look like those of an ordinary business in this line of work.

Solvency

HCA Healthcare, Inc.’s solvency score is 4.8 out of 10 (average). Against a median of 6.5 among 150 Healthcare companies, that is well below the group and the 30th percentile. Middling solvency says the balance sheet is neither a strength nor a constraint today.

Growth

Growth scores 5.4 out of 10, which reads as average. The median across 107 Healthcare companies is 4.9, so HCA Healthcare, Inc. is above its peers on this pillar and ranks at the 58th percentile. Average growth reflects a business expanding at roughly the pace of its sector, without a clear acceleration or decline.

Efficiency

HCA Healthcare, Inc.’s efficiency score is 9.2 out of 10 (strong). Against a median of 6.0 among 200 Healthcare companies, that is well above the group and the 95th percentile. Efficiency at this level means the company needs comparatively little capital to produce what it sells.

Predictability

On predictability, HCA Healthcare, Inc. scores 7.7, a strong reading. Its peers have a median of 3.4 across 207 Healthcare companies, which places it well above them, at the 93rd percentile. Steady results like these are what make a long term view of the business easier to hold.

Strongest and weakest pillar

This is a lopsided profile. Efficiency scores 9.2 but profitability only 4.6, a gap of 4.6 points, so the overall hides a business that is excellent in one respect and weak in another. An efficiency lead means the operation turns what it has into cash better than it does anything else. A profitability shortfall is the one most worth understanding, since it bears directly on whether the business creates value.

What would move the score

Closing the gap on solvency would do the most for the overall. At the median of Healthcare companies, 6.5, HCA Healthcare, Inc. would score about 6.4 instead of 6.1. All five pillars could be scored, so the overall uses the full set of weights out of 100: profitability 25, solvency 20, growth 20, efficiency 15, predictability 20.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. and similar companies

These are the Healthcare companies closest to HCA Healthcare, Inc. in market value. Each has its own page scored on the same five pillars, so the comparison is like for like.

What each pillar measures

Profitability

4.6 / 10

How much profit the company generates from its capital and sales.

Solvency

4.8 / 10

The company’s ability to service debt and meet its obligations.

Growth

5.4 / 10

How fast revenue, earnings and cash flow are compounding.

Efficiency

9.2 / 10

How well assets and earnings convert into cash and output.

Predictability

7.7 / 10

How stable and consistent results have been over time.

How this score is calculated

Each metric is scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks, where higher is better. Metrics roll up into five pillars, and the pillars combine into the overall score using the weights shown. Sector-sensitive metrics are judged relative to peers in the same sector.

Limitations

This score is a systematic, backward-looking read of reported fundamentals. It does not judge valuation, management quality, competitive moat, or future prospects, and can be distorted by one-off items or unusual accounting. Treat it as a starting point, not a recommendation.

Educational only. Not investment advice.

FAQ

Is HCA Healthcare, Inc. a quality business?

On this reading HCA Healthcare, Inc. scores 6.1 out of 10, which reads as solid quality. Its strongest pillar is efficiency, its weakest is profitability. Quality is not the same as a good investment: the score says nothing about the price you would pay.

How does HCA Healthcare, Inc. compare with other Healthcare companies?

HCA Healthcare, Inc. ranks at the 77th percentile of the 212 Healthcare companies Lemma publishes a score for. The median there is 4.4 and the top quarter starts at 6.0, against HCA Healthcare, Inc.’s 6.1.

What does the HCA quality score measure?

Five pillars, each scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks and then weighted into one overall reading: profitability, solvency, growth, efficiency and predictability. Everything comes from reported financials, and nothing comes from price, sentiment or forecasts.

How current is this score?

This page last changed on October 19, 2026. The score moves with the financial statements, so the page changes when a new filing moves the reading rather than on a schedule. Live figures for HCA are in the app.

Does a high score mean the stock is cheap?

No. Quality and valuation are separate questions, and a good business at the wrong price is still a bad purchase. Score the business here, then price it with a DCF you control.

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Score any company, not just these.

Inside Lemma Analysis the same five pillars run on every company we cover, with the metrics behind each one, current fundamentals, a DCF you control and a watchlist that tells you when the price catches up.

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