Community Health stock rating downgraded by Jefferies on weak Q2 results

Published 24/07/2025, 06:48
Community Health stock rating downgraded by Jefferies on weak Q2 results

Investing.com - Jefferies downgraded Community Health (NYSE:CYH) from Buy to Hold and lowered its price target to $3.00 from $4.25 on Thursday. The stock, currently trading at $3.88, has shown strong momentum with a 29.8% gain year-to-date, according to InvestingPro data.

The downgrade follows what Jefferies described as "soft Q2 trends" that resulted in an EBITDA miss for the hospital operator, despite Community Health recognizing Tennessee and New Mexico Directed Payment Program (DPP) payments during the quarter. The company’s EBITDA stands at $1.25 billion, while maintaining a "GOOD" overall Financial Health score on InvestingPro.

Jefferies cited concerns about "go-forward earnings uncertainty" related to impacts from the OBBBA legislation and scheduled expiration of enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credits (eAPTC) at year-end, which could increase Community Health’s "already-elevated leverage ratio."

The research firm also pointed to management uncertainty amid the company’s CEO transition, occurring "at a time when hospitals are facing new regulatory headwinds."

The downgrade reflects a more cautious stance on Community Health’s near-term prospects as the company navigates both operational challenges and leadership changes in a difficult regulatory environment.

In other recent news, Community Health Systems reported a slight beat on its Q1 2025 earnings expectations. The company achieved an earnings per share of -$0.03, compared to the forecasted -$0.04, and its revenue reached $3.16 billion, surpassing the anticipated $3.1 billion. Additionally, Community Health Systems announced a definitive agreement to sell select ambulatory outreach laboratory services to Labcorp for $195 million in cash. This transaction involves outreach laboratory assets across 13 states, while the company will continue to operate its inpatient and emergency department laboratories.

In leadership changes, CEO Tim Hingtgen will retire effective September 30, 2025, with current President and CFO Kevin Hammons stepping in as interim CEO. Jason K. Johnson, currently senior vice president and chief accounting officer, will serve as interim CFO following Hingtgen’s departure. S&P Global Ratings recently upgraded Community Health Systems’ rating to ’CCC+’ from ’SD’, indicating steady operational improvement, though the outlook remains negative. However, the company was previously downgraded to ’SD’ due to a significant debt repurchase, which S&P Global considered a selective default. The rating agency anticipates raising the issuer credit rating back to ’CCC+’ soon.

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