HCA Healthcare on Tuesday forecast 2024 profit above Wall Street estimates as the largest U.S. for-profit hospital operator anticipated strong demand for medical procedures, sending its shares up 6% in premarket trading. The hospital operator also posted better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter and authorized an additional share repurchase program for up to $6 billion. The strong forecast and earnings by HCA, a bellwether for hospitals, follow health insurers such as UnitedHealth and Humana flagging increased utilization of medical services, especially among older adults seeking non-urgent surgical procedures like hip and knee replacements that were put off during the pandemic.