HCA Healthcare reported lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Friday and forecast up to a $300-million hit in the fourth quarter due to delays in medical procedures from recent hurricanes, causing its shares to drop 9%.

HCA Healthcare’s stock dropped after the hospital company reported hurricane disruptions dragged on its earnings. The company's shares slid by about 9% after markets opened Friday. HCA, the nation's largest and most profitable publicly traded hospital company,

HCA Healthcare took a $50 million financial hit in the third quarter due to the impacts of the back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton, which slammed facilities in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

HCA Healthcare missed Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit on Friday after being hit by delays in medical procedures due to Hurricane Helene, sending its shares down about 10% in premarket trading.

HCA Healthcare missed Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit on Friday and forecast up to a $300-million hit in the fourth quarter due to hurricane disruptions, causing its shares to fall 8% in premarket trading.

Welcome to the HCA Healthcare third quarter 2024 earnings conference call. Today's call is being recorded. At this time, for opening remarks and introductions, I would like to turn the call over to the vice president of investor relations,

Key Takeaways HCA Healthcare reported worse-than-expected results and warned about future performance because of the impact of recent hurricanes.The insurer said Hurricane Helene's effect on its North Carolina operations reduced third-quarter profit and sales.