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Air Methods (AIRM) Opens New Training Facility in Colorado

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Leading provider of air medical emergency transport services, Air Methods Corporation announced the opening of new FlightSafety Learning Center in Denver, CO. The new facility was jointly opened with FlightSafety International. Notably, FlightSafety International is a premier professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays.

Stock Performance

Over the last one year, the price performance of Air Methods has been encouraging. The stock added 15.97%, higher than the Zacks classified Medical Services sub-industry’s gain of 3.76%. Also, the current level compares favorably with the S&P 500’s return of 17.76% over the same time frame.

On the flipside, the estimate revision trend for the stock lacks luster. The current quarter has seen one estimate moving south over the last month, with no movement in the opposite direction. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter dropped to 38 cents per share from 41 cents over the same time period.


Coming back to the news, the facility has the new Airbus AS350 B3 Level-D simulator installed, which would greatly help in capturing market share. A total of four simulators would be installed on the facility. Of these, two have already been installed while the final two are scheduled to enter service later this year. The Colorado Learning Center also offers classrooms and a full complement of customer service areas. It would also offer four-day training for the vast majority of the company’s aviators.

Over the long run, we are bullish on the company owing to its focus on improving the bottom line by consolidating bases, shifting to more efficient helicopters and taking over the reins from its hospital-based model clients.

Air Methods is a leading player in air medical transportation. Its fleet of owned, leased or maintained aircraft features approximately 500 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. The company operates through three divisions. Of these, the Air Medical Services Division is the largest provider of air medical transport services in the U.S. The United Rotorcraft Division specializes in the design and manufacture of aeromedical and aerospace technology. The Tourism Division comprises Sundance Helicopters, Inc. and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, which provide helicopter tours and charter flights in the Las Vegas/Grand Canyon region and Hawaii, respectively.

Key Picks

Currently, Air Methods has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Better-ranked stocks in the broader medical sector include Inogen Inc. (INGN - Free Report) , Avinger, Inc. (AVGR - Free Report) and Fluidigm Corporation . Notably, Inogen sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Fluidigm and Avinger carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Inogen has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 17.05%. Notably, the stock has an impressive one-year return of 77.4%.

Avinger projects sales growth of 30.6% for the current year. Additionally, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 27% last quarter.

Fluidigm Corporation has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 25%. The stock has added 6.08% over the last one year.
 

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