Strong market return for Healthscope

Private hospital operator Healthscope has enjoyed a positive return to the share market despite a flat performance from the rest of the market.

Australia's second largest private hospital operator has gained more than $200 million in value in a successful return to the share market.

Despite a lacklustre day on the market, Healthscope shares gained 5.2 per cent in value, adding 11 cents to its listing price of $2.10.

The gain takes its market value to $3.83 billion, up from $3.6 billion before trading began.

Healthscope was removed from the market in 2010 after a takeover by private equity firms TPG and The Carlyle Group.

The firms remain major shareholders, but have opened up the ownership to new institutional investors, who took part in the largest market listing in more than three years.

IG market strategist Evan Lucas said Healthscope was an attractive investment in the very popular private health sector.

It operates 44 private hospitals, as well as pathology and medical centres.

"People know Healthscope," he said.

"That health care space is where investors want to be, it has very stable earnings.

"It could be argued it was overpriced, but if you look at that sector as a whole, pretty much all of them trade at a premium to what is their present value."

Shares in the largest private hospital operator, Ramsay Health Care, have risen by almost nine per cent in 2014, while IVF provider Virtus has added $170 million to its market value since listing in June.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world