Encouraging HCA Q3 Earnings Sneak Peek - Analyst Blog

HCA Holdings Inc. (HCA) announced its preliminary financial and operating results for the third quarter of 2013. HCA Holdings expects to record income before income taxes to be approximately $701 million in the third quarter, up 3.5% year over year.

HCA Holdings' adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) projection stand at $1.603 billion, up 4.6% year over year for the third quarter of 2013. Depreciation and amortization is expected to be $443 million, up 6.2% year over year. Interest expense is expected to be $458 million, up 2.7% year over year. Additionally, the company expects adjusted EBITDA for full-year 2013 to be close to the upper end of its previous guidance of $6.25 to $6.50 billion.

Net income of HCA Holdings for the third quarter of 2013 is expected to be approximately $0.79 per share, up 1.3% year over year. The third quarter results are expected to include pretax losses on sale of facilities of $1 million. The third quarter of 2012 results included gains on sales of facilities of $7 million.

HCA Holdings expects revenues of $ 8.456 billion in the third quarter of 2013, up 4.9% from $8.062 billion in the year-ago quarter. Revenues are also higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.378 billion.

Meanwhile, same facility admissions increased 0.7% year over year in the third quarter of 2013 compared to a 2.1% increase in the year-ago quarter. Same facility equivalent admissions increased 1.1% year over year as compared to a 2.6% increase in the year-ago quarter.

ditionally, same facility revenue per equivalent admission is projected to increase about 3.4% year over year in the third quarter of 2013 owing to a 2% year over year upside in case mix or acuity during the third quarter of 2013.

HCA Holdings is scheduled to release its 2013 third quarter results on or about Nov 5, 2013. Among others from the healthcare services industry, Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC), MEDNAX Inc. (MD) and Health Management Associates Inc. (HMA) are expected to report their third quarter 2013 results shortly.

HCA currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).