What In Store For Universal Health's (UHS) Q4 Earnings?
Zacks Investment Research | Feb 24, 2020 10:36PM ET
Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) is set to report fourth-quarter 2019 results on Feb 26, after market close.
For the to-be-reported quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $2.60, indicating a 9.7% increase from the year-ago reported figure.
Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.
In the quarter under review, the company’s performance is likely to have been fueled by both its Acute Care and Behavioral Health segments. Total patient revenues at both segments are expected to have risen on the back of inpatient and outpatient revenues. The consensus mark for total patient revenues at Acute Care and Behavioral Health suggests a 13.2% and 7.5% improvement from the respective prior-year reported numbers.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for total revenues stands at $2.9 billion, implying growth of 4.8% from the year-earlier reported figure.
Licensed beds in Acute Care hospitals, which have been increasing since 2012, might maintain the momentum for fourth-quarter results as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for average licensed beds at the segment suggests a 0.8% rise from the year-ago reported number. However, licensed beds in the Behavioral Health segment might have dipped in the to-be-reported quarter.
Higher bed count is owing to the addition of facilities, new beds at the busiest acute care and behavioral health hospitals, medical surgical units, neonatal intensive care units, etc.
However, Universal Health is anticipated to have incurred escalating operating expenses due to higher salaries, wages and benefits plus other operating expenses, which in turn, might have negatively impacted earnings.
Interest expenses of the company are also likely to have persisted at elevated levels.
What the Quantitative Model States
Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Universal Health this season. This is because a stock needs the right combination of a positive Original post
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