DaVita price target lowered to $65 from $78 at RBC Capital

RBC Capital analyst Frank Morgan lowered his price target on DaVita to $65 and also reduced his FY19 EPS view to $3.93 from $4.12 after its management provided initial FY19 operating income outlook of $1.54B-$1.64B relative to consensus of $1.62B. The analyst notes that the company’s near term is likely to be impacted by “industry headline risk, potential margin pressures due to increased scrutiny of dialysis rates, and ongoing labor cost growth”, but sees dialysis as a “steady, stable, defensive industry over the long term, with predictable patient volumes and strong cash flows”.
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