Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (GTIV) estimates are holding strong headed into the companies upcoming earnings announcement.

Company Description

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. operates its health services business in the United States and provides specialty pharmaceutical services, including infusion therapy and distribution services, and home health care services.

Company headquarters are in Melville, New York, it has about 6,500 employees, and carries a market cap of over $700 million.

Beat the Street by 24%

On Oct 30 Gentiva announced third-quarter results that included earnings per share of 42 cents. That number is up 40% over the 30 cents reported in the same quarter last year. Income was driven by a 17% boost in revenue and a 26% increase in operating contribution.

The EPS number of 42 cents was 24% above Wall Street's consensus estimate of 34 cents. This is the second consecutive surprise for the healthcare company.

Raised Guidance

In the same announcement, Gentiva also updated its full-year 2008 guidance and its 2009 outlook. Earnings for 2008, which will be released on Feb 5, are expected to between $1.47 and $1.51, up from a range of $1.36 to $1.43.

Earnings per share for full-year 2009 are expected to be between $1.62 and $1.72, a 12% growth, using the median of the range.

The Chart

Shares of GTIV have become increasingly volatile during the latter half of 2008 and do not show signs of settling down anytime soon. You can see the intraday price fluctuation grow over time, represented by the height of each individual line on the graph. Take a look at the chart below.

Read the full analyst report on GTIV