Zacks: Brokerages Anticipate LHC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LHCG) Will Announce Earnings of $1.05 Per Share

Wall Street analysts forecast that LHC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LHCG – Get Rating) will announce earnings of $1.05 per share for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Twelve analysts have issued estimates for LHC Group’s earnings. The highest EPS estimate is $1.09 and the lowest is $0.99. LHC Group reported earnings of $1.39 per share during the same quarter last year, which indicates a negative year-over-year growth rate of 24.5%. The firm is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 1st.

On average, analysts expect that LHC Group will report full year earnings of $5.76 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $5.54 to $5.89. For the next financial year, analysts expect that the business will post earnings of $6.83 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $6.17 to $7.75. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that follow LHC Group.

LHC Group (NASDAQ:LHCG – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.06). LHC Group had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 5.21%. The business had revenue of $583.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $582.44 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.40 earnings per share. LHC Group’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LHCG shares. William Blair lowered LHC Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 29th. Benchmark lowered LHC Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on LHC Group from $154.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered LHC Group from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $172.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Monday, April 4th. Finally, Stephens lowered LHC Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 30th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LHC Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.20.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LHCG. Moors & Cabot Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LHC Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of LHC Group by 103.1% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of LHC Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of LHC Group by 312.8% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 322 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of LHC Group by 62.0% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 345 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LHC Group stock opened at $167.21 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.59. LHC Group has a 52 week low of $108.42 and a 52 week high of $223.63. The stock has a market cap of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.44, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.45.

About LHC Group (Get Rating)

LHC Group, Inc, a health care provider, specializes in the post-acute continuum of care primarily for Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. It operates through five segments: Home Health Services, Hospice Services, Home and Community-Based Services, Facility-Based Services, and Healthcare Innovations (HCI).

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