U.S. polyclinic operator HCA Healthcare reported a 24.8 percent rise in quarterly profit and promoted its full-year earnings forecast on higher patient admissions, sending its share outs up 3 percent.
The upbeat results, coming from the largest U.S. for-profit asylum operator, allayed concerns that patients were delaying non-emergency surgeries due to irritations about soaring out-of-pocket medical costs.
Net income attributable to HCA lift to $820 million, or $2.31 per share, in the second quarter ended June 30, from $657 million, or $1.75 per slice, a year earlier.
Revenue rose to $11.53 billion from $10.73 billion a year ago, while takings per equivalent admission rose 2.1 percent.
Same-facility equivalent admittances, which include patients who stay in the hospital overnight and those who are cared on an outpatient basis, rose 2.8 percent.
The company raised its profit prognostication for the year to a range of $9.00 to $9.40 per share, from its prior prediction of $8.50 to $9.00 per share.