Community Health Systems

CYH · NYSE

$2.85+$0.09 (+3.26%)TodayMarket closed · Oct 20, 7:30 PM ET

Prev close $2.76

CYH analyst rating

HoldConsensus of 6 analysts over the last 12 months. 17% rate it a buy.

Strong buy0
Buy1
Hold3
Underperform2
Sell0

12-month price target · 9 analysts

Average $3.22 (+13.0% upside)

Low: $2.02
Now: $2.85
High: $4.20

Upgrades and downgrades

The latest rating actions, newest first

CYH analyst upgrades, downgrades and rating actions
Firm	Date	Action	Rating	Price target	Hit rate
BMO Capital	Sep 23, 2026	Initiates	Market Perform	$3.00	41%
RBC Capital	Jul 27, 2026	Maintains	Outperform	$5.00 → $4.00	57%
Truist Securities	Jul 27, 2026	Maintains	Hold	$3.75 → $3.25	67%
UBS	Jul 24, 2026	Maintains	Neutral	$3.20 → $3.00	64%
Barclays	Jul 23, 2026	Maintains	Underweight	$3.00 → $2.50	59%
Truist Securities	Jul 14, 2026	Maintains	Hold	$3.00 → $3.75	67%
Barclays	Jul 8, 2026	Downgrade	Equal-Weight → Underweight	$3.00	59%
Truist Securities	Apr 23, 2026	Maintains	Hold	$3.50 → $3.00	67%
Barclays	Apr 23, 2026	Maintains	Equal-Weight	$3.50 → $3.00	59%
Truist Securities	Apr 13, 2026	Maintains	Hold	$4.00 → $3.50	67%

The case for and against

Updated Oct 14, 2026

Bull case

Community Health System is positioned to benefit from its scale as the largest rural and suburban hospital operator, with management still reshaping the portfolio toward larger, higher-growth markets and using cost reductions and transfer-center initiatives to lift volumes. Same-store admissions and adjusted admissions were positive in parts of the commentary, and management cited improving outpatient surgery trends, clinic visits, and orthopedic MRIs, supporting the case for recovery as elective demand normalizes. Although 1Q adjusted EBITDA of $309.0M came in below expectations and margins fell to 10.4%, reaffirmed FY26 guidance of $11.6B-$12.0B revenue and $1.34B-$1.49B adjusted EBITDA suggests underlying resilience despite payer-mix and elective-procedure pressure.

Bear case

Community Health System is facing a weaker fundamental backdrop as a materially wider ePTC headwind, persistent surgical softness, and unfavorable payor mix forced management to cut full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance to $1.300–$1.375B, with a $60–65MM 1H miss and another $60–70MM reduction in 2H. Despite some offset from SDP benefits and modest labor improvement, same-store net revenue per adjusted admission fell 50bp, uncompensated care rose to 32.9% of revenue, and medical specialist fees jumped 19% y/y, indicating that reimbursement pressure and cost inflation are outpacing operating leverage. The company also carries a highly leveraged balance sheet and meaningful exposure to government-sponsored programs, leaving earnings vulnerable to further volume, mix, and regulatory volatility.

Information on this page is provided for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Market data is delayed at least 15 minutes and is provided without warranty. Analyst ratings, price targets and company data come from third-party sources. Past performance does not guarantee future results.