HCA Health Inc vs Boston Beer Company Inc — how do they compare? HCA Health Inc trades at $372.45 (market cap $82.17B), while Boston Beer Company Inc trades at $175.91 (market cap $1.88B). The key difference: HCA Health Inc is far larger — about 43.7× Boston Beer Company Inc's market cap, and HCA Health Inc pays a 0.84% dividend while Boston Beer Company Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HCA | SAM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $82.17B | $1.88B |
Sector | Health | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $545.13 | $260.05 |
52-Week Low | $334.32 | $161.08 |
Enterprise Value | $131.08B | $1.75B |
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.
Boston Beer Company (SAM) trades at $180.59, up 1.0% with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The stock shows mixed fundamentals with a P/E of 22.66 and P/S of 0.99, but negative net income margin and ROE. Recent earnings beat expectations in Q3 and Q4 2025 but missed in Q1 2026. Analyst consensus is mixed with 74% hold ratings and a $204.33 price target, suggesting modest upside potential from current levels.
SAM faces near-term challenges including volume declines and competitive pressures in the hard seltzer segment, offset by strong cash flow generation and innovation in Beyond Beer categories. The company's improved gross margins and cost-saving initiatives provide some stability, but investor sentiment remains cautious ahead of Q2 earnings. The stock presents a balanced risk-reward profile with potential upside to analyst targets but requires monitoring of execution against guidance.
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 →Boston Beer is a leader in U.S. high-end malt beverages and adjacent categories, with strong positions in craft beer, hard cider, and hard seltzer. The firm sells an array of flavor variants and package sizes, predominantly centered around four priority brands: Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Truly Hard Seltzer. Its drinks are produced in both company-owned breweries as well as through third-party contract arrangements, and while the company primarily goes to market through independent wholesalers (as mandated by law), it operates a fairly large salesforce to induce demand across the value chain (distributors, retailers, and drinkers). The preponderance of revenue is generated domestically.
Read more on SAM →