With A -14% Earnings Drop, Did AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE:AMN) Really Underperform?
Today I will take a look at AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.'s (NYSE:AMN) most recent earnings update (30 June 2019) and compare these latest figures against its performance over the past few years, as well as how the rest of the healthcare industry performed. As an investor, I find it beneficial to assess AMN’s trend over the short-to-medium term in order to gauge whether or not the company is able to meet its goals, and ultimately sustainably grow over time.
See our latest analysis for AMN Healthcare Services
Was AMN's recent earnings decline worse than the long-term trend and the industry?
AMN's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 30 June 2019) of US$127m has declined by -14% compared to the previous year.
Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 25%, indicating the rate at which AMN is growing has slowed down. Why could this be happening? Well, let’s take a look at what’s going on with margins and whether the rest of the industry is facing the same headwind.
In terms of returns from investment, AMN Healthcare Services has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 19% instead. However, its return on assets (ROA) of 8.1% exceeds the US Healthcare industry of 5.2%, indicating AMN Healthcare Services has used its assets more efficiently. Though, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for AMN Healthcare Services’s debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 20% to 12%. This correlates with an increase in debt holding, with debt-to-equity ratio rising from 66% to 98% over the past 5 years.
What does this mean?
While past data is useful, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Companies that are profitable, but have unpredictable earnings, can have many factors affecting its business. I recommend you continue to research AMN Healthcare Services to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for AMN’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for AMN’s outlook.
Financial Health: Are AMN’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here.
Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.
NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 30 June 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.
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If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
