Anthem misses by $0.01, reports revs in-line; guides FY15 EPS above consensus, revs below consensus; increases quarterly div by 43% to $0.625/share
Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $1.73 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.01 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $1.74; revenues rose 6.4% year/year to $18.78 bln vs the $18.93 bln consensus.
- Co issues guidance for FY15, sees EPS of greater than $9.70, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $9.45 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees FY15 revs of $78.0-78.5 bln vs. $79.48 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.
- Medical membership is expected to be in the range of 38,000,000 -- 38,200,000. Fully insured membership is expected to be in the range of 14,750,000 -- 14,850,000 and self-funded membership is expected to be in the range of 23,250,000 -- 23,350,000.
- Benefit expense ratio is expected to be in the range of 83.0% plus or minus 30 basis points.
- Medical enrollment totaled ~37.5 million members at December 31, 2014, an increase of approximately 1.8 million members, or 5.2 percent, from 35.7 million at December 31, 2013.
- The benefit expense ratio was 84.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, a decrease of 330 basis points from 87.8 percent in the prior year quarter.
- Board of Directors increases quarterly dividend by nearly 43% to $0.625 per share, totaling $2.50 per share on an annualized basis.