HealthSouth posts 4Q profit, results top Street expectations

HealthSouth Corp. on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter net income of $42.1 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.

The Birmingham, Alabama-based company said it had profit of 44 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 55 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 52 cents per share.

The rehabilitation hospital operator posted revenue of $613.4 million in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Analysts expected $604.9 million, according to Zacks. HealthSouth said revenue growth of 7.2 percent year-over-year reflects a 4.7 percent increase in the number of patients treated in its hospitals and a 3.2 percent increase in its inpatient pricing.

For the year, the company reported profit of $222 million, or $2.29 per share. Revenue was reported as $2.41 billion.

HealthSouth expects full-year 2015 earnings to be $2.24 to $2.29 per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet forecast $2.42 per share, on average.

HealthSouth shares have increased 18 percent since the beginning of the year. In extended trading after the release of its earnings report, shares rose 14 cents to $45.50.

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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on HLS at http://www.zacks.com/ap/HLS

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Keywords: HealthSouth, Earnings Report