HCA Health Inc vs Palo Alto Networks Inc — how do they compare? HCA Health Inc trades at $371.96 (market cap $82.17B), while Palo Alto Networks Inc trades at $353.68 (market cap $284.16B). The key difference: Palo Alto Networks Inc is far larger — about 3.5× HCA Health Inc's market cap, and HCA Health Inc pays a 0.84% dividend while Palo Alto Networks Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HCA | PANW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $82.17B | $284.16B |
Sector | Health | Technology |
52-Week High | $545.13 | $358.68 |
52-Week Low | $334.32 | $141.67 |
Enterprise Value | $131.08B | $283.12B |
Dividend Yield | 0.84% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
HCA Healthcare trades at $370.74, down 0.12% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but strong fundamentals including consistent earnings beats and revenue growth to $75.6 billion in 2025. The stock faces headwinds from lowered 2026 guidance and negative news flow, but maintains a solid valuation with a P/E of 12.79 and positive analyst consensus.
The outlook is mixed: attractive valuation and operational strength support upside to the $469.40 price target, but near-term risks from payer mix shifts and legal investigations warrant caution. Long-term growth drivers include capacity expansion and medical advancements, though investor sentiment is currently pressured.
Palo Alto Networks (PANW) trades at $353.85, down 1.35% on the day but showing strong bullish momentum with shares roughly doubling over three months. The stock exhibits robust fundamentals with consistent earnings beats, revenue growth to $9.22B in 2025, and a high gross margin of 71.94%. Technical indicators signal a bullish trend, supported by positive moving averages, though RSI levels suggest potential overbought conditions near-term.
Outlook remains positive driven by AI-driven cybersecurity demand and platformization strategy, but high valuation ratios (P/E 311.9, P/S 24.9) pose risks. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish (74% Buy ratings) with a $339.56 price target, though competition and integration costs are key watchpoints for investors.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the U.S. As of December 2021, the firm owned and operated 182 hospitals, 125 freestanding outpatient surgery centers, and a broad network of physician offices, urgent care clinics, and freestanding emergency rooms across nearly 20 states and a small foothold in England.
Read more on HCA →Palo Alto Networks is a pure-play cybersecurity vendor that sells security appliances, subscriptions, and support into enterprises, government entities, and service providers. The company's product portfolio includes firewall appliances, virtual firewalls, endpoint protection, cloud security, and cybersecurity analytics. The Santa Clara, California, firm was established in 2005 and sells its products worldwide.
Read more on PANW →