Earnings Per Share

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

NOTE 4 — EARNINGS PER SHARE

We compute basic earnings per share using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. We compute diluted earnings per share using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, plus the dilutive effect of outstanding equity awards, computed using the treasury stock method.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 (dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts):

	2021		2020
Net income attributable to HCA Healthcare, Inc.	$	1,423	$	581
Weighted average common shares outstanding		338.123		338.242
Effect of dilutive incremental shares		5.198		5.854
Shares used for diluted earnings per share		343.321		344.096
Earnings per share:
Basic earnings	$	4.21	$	1.72
Diluted earnings	$	4.14	$	1.69