(Reuters) – HCA Healthcare Inc said on Friday it has raised its guidance for 2021 after the hospital operator saw an increase in patient volume.
The hospital operator said it forecasts earnings to be in the range of $17.20 to $17.80 per diluted share this year, from a prior forecast of $16.30 and $17.10 per share.
Hospital operators have seen a pickup in patient volumes in recent months compared with last year, when non-urgent surgical procedures were delayed or cancelled to make room for COVID-19 patients.
On Tuesday, Rival Tenet Healthcare raised its full-year profit forecast after reporting a rebound in admissions and uptick in surgical procedures in the third quarter.
HCA Healthcare reported a 240% rise in third-quarter profit on Friday, driven primarily by the sale of four hospitals in Georgia.
Net income attributable to HCA rose to $2.27 billion, or $7.00 per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, from $668 million, or $1.95 per share, a year earlier.
Revenue for the third quarter rose 14.7% to $15.27 billion.
(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy and Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Arpan Varghese)
