HCA Holdings Inc., the largest hospital company by revenue, reported fourth-quarter profit surged because of an acquisition and said it will pay a special dividend of $2 a share.
Net income climbed to $1.94 billion, or $4.25 a share, from $283 million, or 65 cents, a year earlier, the Nashville, Tennessee-based company said in a statement. The quarter was boosted by gains from the purchase of the part of HealthONE it didn’t already own and from asset sales. HCA said 2012 earnings may be $3.35 to $3.55 a share, compared with the $3.49 average estimate of 22 analysts compiled by Bloomberg.
HCA may benefit as Americans who avoided spending on elective procedures return to the doctor in a recovering economy. The U.S. jobless rate fell in January to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years, as payrolls climbed. Insurance companies including UnitedHealth Group Inc. and WellPoint Inc. predicted more use of health-care services when determining their earnings forecasts for 2012.
Why didn`t I sell at a profit
