Hospital operator HCA lifts annual profit forecast on strong demand

By Sriparna Roy

(Reuters) -HCA Healthcare lifted its annual profit forecast on Tuesday due to strong demand for medical care and higher admissions, sending shares of the largest for-profit U.S. hospital operator up nearly 5% in early trade.

Demand for medical care has been elevated in the United States since late last year as elderly Medicare members caught up on procedures deferred due to the pandemic.

Insurers have also recently noted a rise in care services used by members of Medicaid, for lower income individuals.

HCA's raised forecast implies that it expects persistent strength through the back half of the year, said Baird analyst Michael Ha.

"We question whether this implied ... strength may be related to Medicaid or other underlying demand strength dynamics," said Ha.

HCA expects 2024 profit in the range of $21.60 to $22.80 per share, compared with its previous estimate of $19.70 to $21.20. Analysts were expecting an annual profit of $20.98, according to LSEG data.

The forecast raise met analysts' elevated expectations heading into the quarter, said Mizuho analyst Ann Hynes, and lifted shares of peers Universal Health Services and Tenet Healthcare more than 2%.

HCA also expects annual adjusted core earnings of $13.75 billion to $14.25 billion, above its prior forecast of $12.85 to $13.55 billion.

Shares of the Nashville, Tennessee-based company have risen 20% this year.

HCA's second-quarter profit beat was aided by higher patient admissions and easing costs related to staffing constraints.

The company reported a 5.8% increase in same-facility admissions in the quarter, while same-facility emergency room visits increased 5.5%.

Its profit of $5.50 per share came above LSEG estimate of a profit of $4.88.

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)