Community Health net falls; income below forecasts

MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Community Health Systems Inc. said fourth-quarter net income was $28.18 million, or 30 cents a share, less than half the $62.57 million, or 70 cents a share, for the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings for the Franklin, Tenn. hospital operator were 49 cents a share, below the 64-cent expectation from analysts polled by FactSet. Sales were $3.23 billion, below the $3.28 billion reported last year and slightly above the $3.22 billion analyst forecast. Community Health ended trading Tuesday up 1% to $41.61.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.