HCA Holdings' Stock Surges After Strong Results, Upbeat Outlook

HCA Holdings Inc.'s stock surged 6.7% in premarket trade Thursday, after the hospital operator beat fourth-quarter revenue expectations and provided an upbeat 2016 outlook. Earnings for the latest quarter rose to $582 million, or $1.40 a share, from $527 million, or $1.19 a share, in the same period a year ago. The latest results include losses on asset sales and debt retirement and legal claims. The FactSet earnings-per-share consensus was $1.40. Revenue rose to $10.25 billion from $9.64 billion, beating the FactSet consensus of $10.16 billion. For 2016, the company expects adjusted EPS of $6 to $6.45, above the FactSet consensus of $5.78. Revenue is expected to be $41.5 billion to $42.5 billion, compared with the FactSet consensus of $41.52 billion. The stock had lost 2.2% over the past three months through Wednesday, while the S&P 500 has dropped 9.9%.