NEW YORK, April 23 (Reuters) - U.S. hospital operator Community Health Systems Inc said its first quarter earnings fell slightly, in part because fewer cases of the flu this year led to a drop in patient admissions.
The company said on Thursday it earned $58.9 million, or 65 cents per share, compared with $60.1 million, or 63 cents per share, in the year-earlier period.
Income from continuing operations rose to $71.1 million, or 63 cents per share. That compared with $59.1 million, or 52 cents per share, in the year-earlier period, when the company had 4.1 million additional common shares outstanding.
Analysts on average expected 60 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.
Revenue rose 7.6 percent to $2.89 billion, matching the Reuters Estimates forecast.
Shares of Community Health, the largest publicly traded hospital company in the United States, were flat in after-hours trade. They had closed down 1.9 percent at $17.77 in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Community Health, based in Franklin, Tennessee, reaffirmed it expected full-year 2009 income from continuing operations of $2.45 to $2.65 per share and still expects full-year operating revenue of $11.65 billion to $11.95 billion.
(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Tim Dobbyn, Leslie Gevirtz) Keywords: COMMUNITYHEALTH/ (Reuters Messaging: ransdell.pierson.reuters.com@reuters.net; 646-223-6034; ransdell.pierson@reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The company said on Thursday it earned $58.9 million, or 65 cents per share, compared with $60.1 million, or 63 cents per share, in the year-earlier period.
Income from continuing operations rose to $71.1 million, or 63 cents per share. That compared with $59.1 million, or 52 cents per share, in the year-earlier period, when the company had 4.1 million additional common shares outstanding.
Analysts on average expected 60 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.
Revenue rose 7.6 percent to $2.89 billion, matching the Reuters Estimates forecast.
Shares of Community Health, the largest publicly traded hospital company in the United States, were flat in after-hours trade. They had closed down 1.9 percent at $17.77 in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Community Health, based in Franklin, Tennessee, reaffirmed it expected full-year 2009 income from continuing operations of $2.45 to $2.65 per share and still expects full-year operating revenue of $11.65 billion to $11.95 billion.
(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Tim Dobbyn, Leslie Gevirtz) Keywords: COMMUNITYHEALTH/ (Reuters Messaging: ransdell.pierson.reuters.com@reuters.net; 646-223-6034; ransdell.pierson@reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.