Oct. 30: Aetna's run of solid earnings reports is expected to continue with its third-quarter results. Zacks Investment Research predicts a 2% rise in revenue from the same period last year, totaling $15.24 billion. Don't expect any detailed insights on Aetna's pending deal to join CVS Health though; the company is not holding an earnings call. That transaction, which got conditional clearance from the Justice Department, did hit a speed bump. Maria Vullo, head of New York state's department of financial services, at a public hearing this month raised several concerns about potential cost increases on New Yorkers.
HCA Healthcare is expected to deliver good news with its third-quarter earnings. Frank Morgan, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, this month wrote that HCA “continues to deliver, with strong results for the year to date and EBITDA growth ahead of its long-term target.” Barclays projected that the Nashville-based for-profit system will see a 2.5% bump in same-facility acute-care admissions.
Other companies posting earnings include drugmakers Amgen and Pfizer.
Oct. 30-Nov. 2: For a few years now, chief information officers have been pushing to have a more strategic voice in the C-suite. That's evidenced by the topics on tap at the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives' annual meeting: how M&A activity impacts health IT strategy, improving clinical pathways, and, of course, the now ubiquitous topic of seeing patients as consumers. Our intrepid IT reporter Rachel Z. Arndt will be on site in San Diego to get a sense of what's keeping CIOs up at night. Topping her list: What are CIOs doing to minimize the risk of never-ending cyberattacks?
Oct. 31: Wall Street watchers predict a bag full of treats when Anthem releases its third-quarter earnings. Revenue should hit $22.91 billion, according to Zacks Investment Research, up 3.7% from the same period last year.
Others hoping not to spook the markets with Q3 results include Baxter International, Express Scripts, GlaxoSmithKline and Molina Healthcare.
Nov. 1: The earnings marathon continues with the likes of AbbVie, Allscripts, Cigna, Novo Nordisk and Teva Pharmaceuticals posting results.
