HCA Rises 4% in Biggest-Ever

Hospital operator HCA Holdings Inc. got off to a good start on its first day of trading as a public company Thursday, marking the launch of the largest private-equity backed IPO in the U.S. to date.

The company's stock opened at $31.20 a share on the New York Stock Exchange, up 4% from its initial public offering price of $30, during a morning in which broader market indexes were down.