10 Best Medical Care Facilities Stocks to Buy According to Analysts

In this article, we take a look at 10 Best Medical Care Facilities Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.

Medical care facilities remain at the center of U.S. healthcare spending, but the picture is more complex than a simple volume story. CMS reported that national health expenditures rose 7.2% to $5.3 trillion in 2024, equal to 18.0% of GDP. Hospital care alone reached $1.63 trillion after growing 8.9%, while physician and clinical services reached $1.11 trillion after growing 8.1%. The American Hospital Association’s 2026 Fast Facts, based on its 2024 annual survey, counted 6,100 U.S. hospitals, 907,216 staffed beds, and roughly 35.7 million admissions. That is a large operating base, but it is also a demanding one, shaped by labor costs, payer mix, technology investment, site-of-care shifts, and regulatory pressure.

Within that backdrop, public medical care facility operators are being judged less on broad healthcare demand alone and more on whether their assets can support profitable access, higher-acuity services, outpatient expansion, rehabilitation, diagnostics, or home-based alternatives. Analysts remain selective. The stocks that screen well tend to combine direct exposure to care delivery with visible operating levers, whether through facility expansion, specialty networks, acquisitions, care coordination, or scale in targeted service lines.

Against this backdrop, lets look at some medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts.

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Methodology

To identify the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts, the screen focused on U.S.-traded companies involved in healthcare facility operations and direct care delivery. Greater weight was given to companies with purer exposure to hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, diagnostic facilities, skilled nursing, and other care delivery settings. The stocks were then ranked by average analyst-consensus upside, using price-target data compiled by StockAnalysis from S&P Global, with a minimum upside threshold of 20%.

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10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. The company ranks tenth on the list, with analysts seeing roughly 21.9% upside on average. The latest relevant development was clinical rather than purely financial: on June 29, HCA Healthcare announced new research published in The New England Journal of Medicine involving gene-editing therapy being studied in children ages 5 to 11 with severe sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia.

The story matters because it highlights the specialized capability embedded inside large hospital systems. HCA said the work builds on programs tied to TriStar Centennial Medical Center and the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network, which performs more than 1,600 blood and marrow transplants and cellular therapies annually. This does not make HCA a biotech stock, and it should not be treated that way. Rather, it points to the role high-acuity facilities can play in advanced care as hospitals compete on service depth, scale, and clinical infrastructure.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) operates acute care hospitals, surgery centers, freestanding emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and physician clinics across the United States and the United Kingdom.

9. Nutex Health Inc. (NASDAQ:NUTX)

Nutex Health Inc. (NASDAQ:NUTX) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts’ average target implies about 25.4% upside, although the stock carries wider target dispersion than larger facility operators, making the risk-reward profile less straightforward. The freshest investor-relevant development came on June 29, when STAT reported on Nutex’s microhospital model and its use of No Surprises Act arbitration. STAT reported that, after Nutex began filing arbitration disputes, revenue tripled and profit grew nearly twelvefold.

That is directly relevant to the investment debate because it touches reimbursement, cash generation, and the economics of small-format emergency and hospital-based care. The model gives Nutex exposure to a focused care setting, but it also ties performance closely to payer disputes and collections. The upside case is therefore not just about facility growth or patient volume. It depends on whether Nutex can sustain profitability while navigating scrutiny around out-of-network billing and reimbursement rules.

Nutex Health Inc. (NASDAQ:NUTX) is a healthcare management and operations company whose Hospital Division owns, develops, and operates micro-hospitals, specialty hospitals, and hospital outpatient departments.

8. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts see about 29.5% average upside, and the company also has one of the cleaner facility-style profiles in the group because its business is built around outpatient therapy clinics. On July 2, U.S. Physical Therapy announced the acquisition of a twelve-clinic physical therapy practice, effective July 1.

The company acquired a 67% equity interest, while the existing owners retained 33%, a structure that fits its partnership-style acquisition model. The acquired practice generates around 112,000 annual visits and roughly $12 million in annual revenue. The deal also expands U.S. Physical Therapy’s footprint from 44 states to 45 states. For a clinic operator, that is the right kind of news: modestly sized, directly tied to patient visits, and consistent with a roll-up strategy where local operators keep meaningful participation. The stock’s appeal is not just that analysts see upside, but that recent growth remains connected to actual outpatient capacity.

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) owns and manages outpatient physical therapy clinics and also provides industrial injury prevention services.

7. Option Care Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPCH)

Option Care Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPCH) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts’ average target implies roughly 30.5% upside, placing the company seventh in this screen. The latest relevant update came on June 1, when Option Care Health said it had been ranked No. 15 on TIME’s World’s Most Impactful Companies 2026 list. Awards are not usually a strong investment thesis by themselves, but here the announcement is useful because it points back to the operating model: home and alternate-site infusion care.

Option Care Health described itself as the nation’s largest independent provider in that category, with more than 8,000 team members and over 5,000 clinicians serving patients in all 50 states. For medical care facilities investors, the important theme is site-of-care substitution. Infusion services that can safely move from hospitals to patient homes or alternate sites may offer payers and patients a lower-cost setting while still requiring clinical coordination, scale, and reliability.

Option Care Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPCH) provides home and alternate-site infusion services for patients with acute and chronic conditions.

6. RadNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:RDNT)

RadNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:RDNT) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts see about 30.6% average upside, and the company has fairly direct exposure to outpatient diagnostic facilities through its imaging center network. The most relevant recent development came on June 10, when DeepHealth, RadNet’s wholly owned subsidiary, launched Reporting Pro for commercial deployment.

The product brings speech recognition, AI-generated findings, measurements, impressions, quality assurance, and structured reporting into one workflow for radiology reporting. The news matters because imaging centers are not only a real-estate-and-scanner business anymore; throughput, reporting speed, quality control, and physician workflow all affect capacity and service levels. RadNet has also been building around digital health, giving analysts a reason to view it as more than a traditional outpatient imaging operator. Still, the core tie to this list is simple: diagnostic imaging remains a major outpatient access point, and RadNet’s technology push is aimed at making that care model more scalable.

RadNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:RDNT) operates fixed-site outpatient diagnostic imaging centers and develops radiology digital health solutions.

5. The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts see about 31.0% average upside, supported by a business that is strongly tied to skilled nursing, senior living, and post-acute care facilities. On July 2, The Ensign Group announced that it acquired the real estate and operations of two Texas skilled nursing facilities: Las Ventanas de Socorro, a 126-bed facility in Socorro, and Los Arcos del Norte Care Center, a 124-bed facility in El Paso.

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The acquisition was effective July 1. Ensign said the additions bring its portfolio to 398 healthcare operations, including 48 senior living operations, across 17 states, while subsidiaries including Standard Bearer own 183 real estate assets. The story fits the list cleanly because it is about expanding owned or operated care facilities, not a distant adjacency. The company’s model also gives investors exposure to both operating performance and healthcare real estate ownership, which can be useful when occupancy and local execution improve.

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) provides skilled nursing, senior living, rehabilitation, and other healthcare services through independent operating subsidiaries.

4. Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC)

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts see about 32.0% average upside, and the company is one of the purest medical facility operators on the list because of its focus on inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. On June 26, the New Haven Register reported that Encompass Health’s proposed $69.5 million inpatient rehabilitation facility in Branford, Connecticut received a generally favorable reception at a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing, although the vote was continued to July 9 while officials sought more information.

The proposed facility would be built in phases, starting with 50 beds and potentially expanding to 80 beds with an additional gym area. The article also noted that the project still requires Certificate of Need approval from Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy. This is not a done deal, but it is relevant because it shows Encompass Health continuing to pursue capacity growth in specialized post-acute care.

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) owns and operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals that serve patients recovering from strokes, injuries, surgeries, and complex medical conditions.

3. Auna S.A. (NYSE:AUNA)

Auna S.A. (NYSE:AUNA) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts’ average target implies about 32.6% upside, although the stock comes with a more mixed signal than several others on the list. The freshest analyst-specific update was on May 26, when JPMorgan maintained a Hold rating and lowered its price target to $5 from $6. That is not bullish by itself, and it keeps the stock from looking like a simple consensus-favorite story.

However, the broader analyst set compiled by S&P Global still showed a Buy consensus and an average target of $6.99, with seven analysts covering the company. Fitch also affirmed Auna’s B+ rating on May 22, while flagging leverage levels that remain material. The measured takeaway is that analysts still see upside on average, but the case depends on execution across a vertically integrated Latin American healthcare platform, including hospitals, outpatient centers, and health plans, rather than clean U.S. hospital exposure.

Auna S.A. (NYSE:AUNA) operates hospitals and clinics in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia, and also provides prepaid healthcare, dental and vision insurance, oncology plans, and medicines.

2. Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. Analysts see roughly 35.1% average upside, supported by one of the broader facility footprints in the group. The company’s latest directly relevant development came on May 26, when The George Washington University, Medical Faculty Associates, and Universal Health Services announced an agreement to transition clinical services to a newly created provider group while continuing medical education at GW Hospital.

The agreement covers GW Hospital, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, and affiliated outpatient sites. Under the arrangement, a UHS affiliate will establish Capital Medical Group, a physician-led not-for-profit practice group, and UHS will become financially responsible for physician practice operations after the transition period. This is not a splashy acquisition headline, but it is important care-delivery plumbing: physician staffing, continuity of care, clinical services, and academic hospital operations. For a facilities operator, those details can matter as much as beds.

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) operates acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, outpatient facilities, and ambulatory care access points.

1. The Oncology Institute, Inc. (NASDAQ:TOI)

The Oncology Institute, Inc. (NASDAQ:TOI) is one of the best medical care facilities stocks to buy according to analysts. It ranks first by average analyst upside in this screen, with analysts seeing roughly 46.8% upside. The latest stronger investor-relevant development came on June 17, when Needham raised its price target on the stock to $7 from $5 while maintaining a Buy rating. That followed another positive analyst move on June 8, when BTIG raised its price target to $8 from $7 and also kept a Buy rating.

The updates are relevant because The Oncology Institute’s investment case depends on whether its community-based oncology platform can keep scaling value-based cancer care while narrowing losses and improving cash generation. The company remains smaller and riskier than large hospital operators, but the recent analyst target increases suggest confidence in the platform’s growth outlook. For a medical care facilities list ranked by analyst upside, that is a cleaner hook than routine investor conference participation.

The Oncology Institute, Inc. (NASDAQ:TOI) provides community-based oncology care through clinics and affiliated locations across several U.S. states.

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