The equity markets reached record highs this week while hospital stocks remained flat.
There was little movement of hospital stocks, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 reached record highs.
HCA Holdings, the nation's largest hospital company, opened the week at $78.21 and closed at $78.71.
Community Health Systems' stock price ended the week almost dead even to where it started. It closed Friday at $12.90 after opening at $12.89.
LifePoint gave up a point for the week, closing Friday at $65.60 after opening at $66.60.
News on the physician-staffing front was similar. AmSurg, which has agreed to merge with Envision Healthcare, closed the week at $78.77. It opened the week at $78.66.
This year's elections might be weighing on investors' minds since the government is a significant payer in the healthcare sector, said Brian Tanquilut, senior vice president of equity research healthcare at Jefferies & Co.
Hospital executives also have signaled to analysts that they are not expecting an earnings surge when they report their second-quarter financials, he said.
“We just haven't seen a catalyst,” Tanquilut said.
