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LifePoint Health (LPNT) Q4 Earnings Miss on Lower Revenues

Zacks Equity Research
Updated

LifePoint Health, Inc. LPNT reported earnings of 77 cents per share in fourth-quarter 2017 that missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.94%. Also, the figure declined 41.5% year over year, due to revenue decline and increase in expenses.

Operational Update

Revenues of $1.49 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.3% and fell roughly 5.2% year over year.

Provision for doubtful accounts was $282.4 million in the reported quarter, up 22.7% year over year.

LifePoint Health, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

LifePoint Health, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | LifePoint Health, Inc. Quote

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Equivalent admissions declined 3% year over year to 172,791 and revenue per equivalent admission was down 4.2% year over year to $8625.

Total expenses of $1.55 billion increased 1.3% year over year.

At the end of the fourth quarter, the company had 71 hospitals compared with 72 hospitals in the year-ago quarter.

Financial Update

As of Dec 31, 2017, the company had total assets of $6.29 billion, down 0.5% year over year.

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $112 million, up 16.5% year over year.

As of Dec 31, 2017, long-term debt declined 0.5% to $2.88 billion from year-end 2016.

Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $178.2 million, up 73.9% year over year.

2018 Guidance

The company expects earnings per share in the range of $4-$4.53, and adjusted EBITDA is expected within $725-$765 million.

Also, LifePoint Health projects revenues within $6.35-$6.43 billion, same hospital revenue growth of 1.4% to 2.7%, and capital expenditures of $475 million to $500 million.

Zacks Rank & Performance of Peers

LifePoint Health presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Among the other firms in the medical sector that have reported their fourth-quarter earnings so far, the bottom line at Centene Corp. CNC, Anthem Inc. ANTM and UnitedHealth Group Inc. UNH beat their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate.

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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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Centene Corporation (CNC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
LifePoint Health, Inc. (LPNT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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