November 6, 2017

LHC Group reports increase of 13.0% in third quarter earnings per diluted share, 18.5% in adjusted earnings per diluted share

LHC Group reports increase of 13.0% in third quarter earnings
per diluted share, 18.5% in adjusted earnings per diluted share


Revenue Grows 18.2%


Increases 2017 Guidance

LAFAYETTE, La. (November 6, 2017) – LHC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LHCG) announced its financial results for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2017 Compared with Third Quarter of 2016

  • Net service revenue increased 18.2% to $272.9 million compared with $230.8 million.
  • Net income attributable to LHC Group’s common stockholders was $10.9 million, up 13.5% from $9.6 million, while earnings per diluted share attributable to LHC Group’s common stockholders increased 13.0% to $0.61 per diluted share from $0.54.
  • Adjusted net income attributable to LHC Group’s common stockholders, which excludes expenses related to the CHRISTUS joint venture transaction and one agency closure in Oklahoma, was $11.5 million, up 19.8% from $9.6 million, or $0.64 per diluted share.
  • Total organic growth in home health admissions was 6.2%.
  • Total organic revenue growth in home health was 10.3%.

Operational Highlights

  • LHC Group quality and patient satisfaction results continued to set the pace for the home health industry in the most recent CMS Star ratings for the sixth consecutive quarter, while exceeding the national average with 96% of its locations having four stars or greater. HomeCare Elite also recently named more than 70% of LHC Group home care locations among the nation’s best, up from over 60% last year.
  • Excluding the LifePoint joint venture, LHC Group acquired 35 home health, hospice or community-based locations and six long-term acute care hospital operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2017, which consisted of $108 million in annual revenue. This sets a new record for the Company in the amount of annual revenue acquired in a year.
  • Completed a new joint venture with CHRISTUS Health, the Company’s 75th hospital or health system joint venture.

Commenting on the announcement, Keith G. Myers, LHC Group’s chairman and CEO, said, “The strength of our business model and the company-wide commitment to delivering high quality and patient satisfaction were evident once again in the strong organic growth in home health admissions as well as the growth generated from our joint ventures with the country’s leading hospitals and health systems. We have work ahead of us to deliver on the performance we expect from new leadership we brought to our hospice business and to execute on an active pipeline of de novo, acquisition and joint venture opportunities, but we are confident in our 2017 growth expectations and continuing a strong pace for 2018.”

Mr. Myers concluded, “The convergence of value-based healthcare and hospital systems’ needs to improve outcomes and value in home health and hospice place a premium on quality and the ability to address the entire post-acute continuum. These dynamics continue to play to the strengths, experience and culture within our organization as demonstrated by the success of our recent partnerships with CHRISTUS, LifePoint Health and Baptist Memorial.”

CHRISTUS Health Joint Venture

On September 1, 2017, the Company and CHRISTUS Health finalized their previously announced joint venture partnership to enhance home health, hospice, community-based and long-term acute-care services in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Georgia. LHC Group acquired 21 service locations, all of which will continue to operate under their existing names. The joint venture is expected to generate approximately $80 million in annualized revenue and is expected to begin contributing to earnings in 2018.

LifePoint Health Joint Venture

On September 1, 2017, LHC Group completed the third and final phase of its joint venture with LifePoint Health by converting nine remaining locations the Company had managed since January 1, 2017, to owned locations. The joint venture now owns 28 home health and 13 hospice locations and is actively pursuing de novo and acquisition opportunities in both new and existing markets served by LifePoint Health. The 28 home health and 13 hospice locations, which consist of $72 million in annual revenue, were acquired in three phases during 2017. The full effect of the acquired revenue will be realized in 2018.

CMS Final Fiscal Year 2018 Medicare Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update

On November 1, 2017, CMS issued its final rule updating HH PPS, which results in a 0.4% decrease in payment to home health agencies in calendar year 2018, which is consistent with a proposed rule introduced in July 2017. For calendar 2019, CMS decided not to finalize its rule on the Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM) and will take additional time to further engage with stakeholders to move towards a system that shifts the focus from volume of services to a more value based patient-centered model.

Fiscal Year 2017 Guidance

LHC Group raised its issued fiscal year 2017 guidance for net service revenue to be in an expected range of $1.05 billion to $1.06 billion, from the previous range of $1.03 billion to $1.045 billion, and GAAP earnings per diluted share to be in an expected range of $2.35 to $2.40, from the previous range of $2.30 to $2.40.

The Company’s fiscal year 2017 financial guidance includes the expenses of approximately $0.03 per fully diluted share for the third quarter of 2017 related to the CHRISTUS joint venture transaction and one agency closure in Oklahoma. The guidance ranges do not take into account the impact of future reimbursement changes, if any, future acquisitions, if made, de novolocations, if opened, or future legal expenses, if necessary.

Conference Call

LHC Group will host a conference call later today at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time to discuss its third quarter 2017 results. The toll-free number to call for this interactive teleconference is (866) 393‑1608 (international callers should call (973) 890-8327). A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through midnight on November 13, 2017, by dialing (855) 859‑2056 (international callers should call (404) 537-3406) and entering confirmation number 96827521.

A live broadcast of LHC Group’s conference call will be available under the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website, www.LHCgroup.com. A one-year online replay will be available approximately an hour following the conclusion of the live broadcast.

 

About LHC Group, Inc.

LHC Group, Inc. is a national provider of non-acute healthcare services, providing quality, cost-effective healthcare to patients primarily within the comfort and privacy of their home or place of residence. LHC Group provides a comprehensive array of healthcare services through home health, hospice, community‑based services agencies and facility-based services. LHC Group operates 324 home health services locations, 92 hospice locations, 12 community-based service locations and 15 long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) with eight locations.

 

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements about the Company’s future financial performance and the strength of the Company’s operations. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “continue,” “expect,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including changes in reimbursement, changes in government regulations, changes in LHC Group’s relationships with referral sources, increased competition for LHC Group’s services, increased competition for joint venture and acquisition candidates, changes in the interpretation of government regulations and other risks set forth in Item 1A. Risk Factors in LHC Group’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. LHC Group undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

LHC GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES,
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands, except share data)
Sept. 30,
2017
Dec. 31,
2016
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash
$       16,922
$          3,264
Receivables:
Patient accounts receivable, less allowance for uncollectible accounts of $26,089 and $29,036, respectively
145,508
124,803
Other receivables
4,705
5,115
Amounts due from governmental entities
830
942
    Total receivables, net
151,043
130,860
Prepaid income taxes
4,879
Prepaid expenses
11,437
9,821
Other current assets
7,331
5,796
Total current assets
191,612
149,741
Property, building and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $41,876 and $35,226, respectively
47,562
43,251
Goodwill
392,689
307,317
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $12,607 and $10,968, respectively
130,779
102,006
Other assets
2,411
11,756
Total assets
$     765,053
$     614,071
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities
$       40,355
$       26,805
Salaries, wages, and benefits payable
53,289
34,265
Self-insurance reserve
9,524
10,691
Current portion of long-term debt
261
252
Amounts due to governmental entities
4,564
4,955
Income tax payable
3,499
    Total current liabilities
107,993
80,467
Deferred income taxes
38,186
31,941
Revolving credit facility
119,000
87,000
Long-term debt, less current portion
93
544
    Total liabilities
265,272
199,952
Noncontrolling interest – redeemable
13,206
12,567
Stockholders’ equity:
LHC Group, Inc. stockholders’ equity:
Common stock – $0.01 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized; 22,635,322 and 22,429,041 shares issued in 2017 and 2016, respectively
226
224
Treasury stock –  4,890,181 and 4,828,679 shares at cost, respectively
(42,226)
(39,135)
Additional paid-in capital
125,208
119,748
Retained earnings
345,967
314,289
    Total LHC Group, Inc. stockholders’ equity
429,175
395,126
Noncontrolling interest – non-redeemable
57,400
6,426
    Total equity
486,575
401,552
            Total liabilities and equity
$     765,053
$     614,071
LHC GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2017
2016
2017
2016
Net service revenue
$     272,872
$     230,797
$     779,700
$     679,380
Cost of service revenue
172,856
140,832
488,384
413,561
Gross margin
100,016
89,965
291,316
265,819
Provision for bad debts
3,194
3,275
8,238
11,658
General and administrative expenses
75,669
66,999
221,077
201,296
(Gain) Loss on disposal of assets
(177)
142
(23)
1,389
Operating income
21,330
19,549
62,024
51,476
Interest expense
(995)
(816)
(2,615)
(2,167)
Income before income taxes and
    noncontrolling interest
20,335
18,733
59,409
49,309
Income tax expense
7,445
6,562
20,410
15,500
Net income
12,890
12,171
38,999
33,809
Less net income attributable to
    noncontrolling interests
1,984
2,555
7,321
7,043
Net income attributable to LHC Group, Inc.’s common stockholders
$       10,906
$          9,616
$       31,678
$       26,766
Earnings per share attributable to LHC Group, Inc.’s common stockholders:
Basic
$           0.61
$           0.55
$           1.79
$           1.53
Diluted
$           0.61
$           0.54
$           1.77
$           1.52
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic
17,740,818
17,588,163
17,704,561
17,546,773
Diluted
18,010,522
17,719,473
17,931,700
17,664,284
LHC GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2017
2016
Operating activities:
Net income
$       38,999
$       33,809
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense
9,680
9,024
Provision for bad debts
8,238
11,658
Stock-based compensation expense
4,522
3,518
Deferred income taxes
6,245
6,062
Loss on disposal of assets
(23)
1,389
Impairment of intangibles and other
81
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:
Receivables
(19,569)
(21,175)
Prepaid expenses and other assets
(3,859)
450
Prepaid income taxes
(4,879)
(2,482)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
26,038
17,633
Income taxes payable
(3,499)
Net amounts due to/from governmental entities
(279)
(2,043)
Net cash provided by operating activities
61,695
57,843
Investing activities:
Purchases of property, building and equipment
(7,944)
(14,576)
Cash paid for acquisitions, primarily goodwill and intangible assets
(61,247)
(20,332)
Other
273
Net cash used in investing activities
(69,191)
(34,635)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from line of credit
63,000
38,000
Payments on line of credit
(31,000)
(44,000)
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan
776
663
Payments on debt
(192)
(156)
Noncontrolling interest distributions
(8,406)
(6,859)
Excess tax benefits from vesting of stock awards
1,293
Withholding taxes paid on stock-based compensation
(3,091)
(1,931)
Purchase of additional controlling interest
(184)
Sale of noncontrolling interest
251
52
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
109
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
21,154
(12,829)
Change in cash
13,658
10,379
Cash at beginning of period
3,264
6,139
Cash at end of period
$       16,922
$       16,518
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Interest paid
$          2,694
$          2,329
Income taxes paid
$       22,376
$       11,390
LHC GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30, 2017
Home
Health Services
Hospice Services
Community-Based Services
Facility-
Based
Services
Total
Net service revenue
$     198,978
$       41,291
$       12,146
$       20,457
$     272,872
Cost of service revenue
123,204
27,441
8,971
13,240
172,856
Provision for bad debts
2,661
234
30
269
3,194
General and administrative expenses
55,980
11,263
2,387
6,039
75,669
(Gain) loss on disposal of assets
20
13
(210)
(177)
Operating income
17,113
2,340
758
1,119
21,330
Interest expense
(746)
(149)
(50)
(50)
(995)
Income before income taxes and noncontrolling interest
16,367
2,191
708
1,069
20,335
Income tax expense
5,703
931
338
473
7,445
Net income
10,664
1,260
370
596
12,890
Less net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
1,759
273
(21)
(27)
1,984
Net income attributable to
     LHC Group, Inc.’s
     common stockholders
$          8,905
$             987
$             391
$             623
$       10,906
Total assets
$     515,562
$     156,296
$       44,621
$       48,574
$     765,053
Three Months Ended September 30, 2016
Home
Health Services
Hospice Services
Community-Based Services
Facility-
Based
Services
Total
Net service revenue
$     167,529
$       35,322
$       11,793
$       16,153
$     230,797
Cost of service revenue
100,057
21,243
9,100
10,432
140,832
Provision for bad debts
2,049
797
190
239
3,275
General and administrative expenses
50,293
9,491
2,263
4,952
66,999
Loss on disposal of assets
20
5
117
142
Operating income
15,110
3,786
240
413
19,549
Interest expense
(612)
(90)
(41)
(73)
(816)
Income before income taxes and noncontrolling interest
14,498
3,696
199
340
18,733
Income tax expense
5,133
1,275
83
71
6,562
Net income
9,365
2,421
116
269
12,171
Less net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
1,853
553
149
2,555
Net income attributable to
     LHC Group, Inc.’s
     common stockholders
$          7,512
$          1,868
$             116
$             120
$          9,616
Total assets
$     425,923
$     119,906
$       33,549
$       34,075
$     613,453
LHC GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT INFORMATION (Continued)
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017
Home
Health Services
Hospice Services
Community-Based Services
Facility-
Based
Services
Total
Net service revenue
$     575,180
$     116,249
$       33,807
$       54,464
$     779,700
Cost of service revenue
352,896
75,187
24,905
35,396
488,384
Provision for bad debts
5,796
1,393
404
645
8,238
General and administrative expenses
165,153
32,404
6,957
16,563
221,077
(Gain) loss on disposal of assets
39
21
(83)
(23)
Operating income
51,296
7,244
1,541
1,943
62,024
Interest expense
(1,961)
(393)
(130)
(131)
(2,615)
Income before income taxes and noncontrolling interest
49,335
6,851
1,411
1,812
59,409
Income tax expense
16,712
2,439
602
657
20,410
Net income
32,623
4,412
809
1,155
38,999
Less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests
6,053
1,038
(7)
237
7,321
Net income attributable to
     LHC Group, Inc.’s
     common stockholders
$       26,570
$          3,374
$             816
$             918
$       31,678
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016
Home
Health Services
Hospice Services
Community-Based Services
Facility-
Based
Services
Total
Net service revenue
$     492,090
$     100,051
$       32,823
$       54,416
$     679,380
Cost of service revenue
294,359
61,836
24,656
32,710
413,561
Provision for bad debts
8,122
2,364
488
684
11,658
General and administrative expenses
150,948
27,787
6,557
16,004
201,296
Loss on disposal of assets
811
329
46
203
1,389
Operating income
37,850
7,735
1,076
4,815
51,476
Interest expense
(1,640)
(232)
(106)
(189)
(2,167)
Income before income taxes and noncontrolling interest
36,210
7,503
970
4,626
49,309
Income tax expense
11,026
2,484
413
1,577
15,500
Net income
25,184
5,019
557
3,049
33,809
Less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests
5,002
1,368
(57)
730
7,043
Net income attributable to
     LHC Group, Inc.’s
     common stockholders
$       20,182
$          3,651
$             614
$          2,319
$       26,766
LHC GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SELECT CONSOLIDATED KEY STATISTICAL AND FINANCIAL DATA
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2017
2016
2017
2016
Key Data:
Home-Health Services:
Home Health
Locations
320
289
320
289
Acquired
8
6
40
11
De novo
0
1
0
3
Divested/Consolidated
2
2
5
7
Total new admissions
47,841
40,657
142,841
118,730
Medicare new admissions
29,964
26,810
89,789
78,763
Average daily census
43,450
38,511
42,862
38,320
Average Medicare daily census
29,691
27,983
29,527
28,069
Medicare completed and billed episodes
54,003
49,230
159,145
148,195
Average Medicare case mix for completed and billed Medicare episodes
1.10
1.07
1.09
1.05
Average reimbursement per completed and billed Medicare episodes
$          2,832
$          2,724
$          2,790
$          2,670
Total visits
1,480,593
1,160,924
4,207,499
3,437,653
Total Medicare visits
1,012,098
856,177
2,912,689
2,526,405
Average visits per completed and billed Medicare episodes
18.7
17.4
18.3
17.0
Organic growth:(1)
Net revenue
10.3%
5.4%
10.3%
6.1%
Net Medicare revenue
4.9%
4.0%
5.6%
4.8%
Total new admissions
6.2%
10.5%
9.7%
8.8%
Medicare new admissions
1.7%
8.1%
5.5%
6.0%
Average daily census
3.7%
1.7%
4.0%
2.3%
Average Medicare daily census
-1.2%
-0.1%
-0.7%
0.8%
Medicare completed and billed episodes
2.0%
0.3%
1.2%
2.1%
Community-Based Services:
Locations
12
11
12
11
Acquired
1
1
1
1
De novo
0
0
0
0
Divested/Consolidated
0
1
0
3
Average daily census
1,933
1,672
1,745
1,631
Billable hours
369,700
354,998
1,056,222
990,129
Revenue per billable hour
$         32.85
$         33.22
$         32.01
$         33.15
Hospice-Based Services:
Locations
92
64
92
64
Acquired
6
2
27
9
De novo
0
0
0
0
Divested/Consolidated
1
1
1
2
Admissions
3,438
2,554
9,717
7,540
Average daily census
3,108
2,736
2,988
2,593
Patient days
285,971
251,753
815,755
710,415
Average revenue per patient day
$             144
$             140
$             143
$             141
Facility-Based Services:
Long-term Acute Care
Locations
15
8
15
8
Acquired
6
0
6
0
Patient days
14,599
13,499
41,406
42,965
Average revenue per patient day
$          1,252
$          1,113
$          1,132
$          1,189
  1. Organic growth is calculated as the sum of same store plus de novo for the period divided by total from the same period in the prior year.
LHC GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO LHC GROUP, INC.
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30,
2017
2016
Net income attributable to LHC Group, Inc.’s common stockholders
$    10,906
$      9,616
Add (net of tax):
Disposal costs on closure of underperforming location
129
Costs associated with CHRISTUS Health Joint Venture
483
Adjusted net income attributable to LHC Group, Inc.’s common stockholders
$    11,518
$      9,616
RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO LHC GROUP, INC. PER DILUTED SHARE
 (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30,
2017
2016
Net income attributable to LHC Group, Inc.’s common stockholders
    per diluted share
$         0.61
$         0.54
Add:
Disposal costs on closure of underperforming location
0.01
Costs associated with CHRISTUS Health Joint Venture
0.02
Adjusted net income attributable to LHC Group, Inc.’s common stockholders per diluted share
$         0.64
$         0.54