Company Enters Into 10b5-1 Plan
BRENTWOOD, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) today announced that its Board of Directors, at a regularly scheduled meeting, has authorized a new stock repurchase program that will allow for repurchases of up to $250 million of its common stock over the next 18 months. Amounts available under the Company’s previously announced share repurchase program were exhausted during the current fiscal quarter.
Under the new stock repurchase program announced today, the Company may repurchase its common stock from time to time, in amounts, at prices, and at such times as the Company deems appropriate, subject to market conditions and other considerations. The Company’s repurchases may be executed using open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, accelerated share repurchase programs or other transactions. The Company intends to fund repurchases under the new stock repurchase program from cash on hand, available borrowings or proceeds from potential debt or other capital markets transactions.
The Company also announced that, on September 16, 2011, the Company entered into a trading plan in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Act”) to facilitate repurchases of its common stock (the “Plan”) during its blackout period if price targets in the Plan are met while the Plan is in place. The Plan became effective on September 16, 2011, and will expire on November 2, 2011, unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms.
The Company does not retain or exercise any discretion over purchases of common stock under the Plan. Because repurchases under the Plan, if any, are subject to the pricing parameters contained in the Plan, there is no guarantee as to the number of shares that will be repurchased under the Plan, or that there will be any repurchases of shares at all pursuant to the Plan.
LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. is a leading hospital company focused on providing quality healthcare services close to home. Through its subsidiaries, LifePoint operates 52 hospital campuses in 17 states. With a mission of “Making Communities Healthier®,” LifePoint is the sole community hospital provider in the majority of the communities it serves. More information about the Company, which is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, can be found on its website, www.LifePointHospitals.com. All references to “LifePoint,” “LifePoint Hospitals,” or the “Company” used in this release refer to LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. or its affiliates.
Important Legal Information. Certain statements contained in this release are based on current management expectations and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor protections from liability provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Numerous factors exist which may cause results to differ from these expectations. Many of the factors that will determine LifePoint’s future results are beyond LifePoint’s ability to control or predict with accuracy. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations and beliefs of the management of LifePoint, are not guarantees of performance and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those described in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may also be subject to other risk factors and uncertainties, including without limitation: (i) the effect and implementation of healthcare reform legislation and other changes in government programs including efforts to reduce healthcare expenditures; (ii) reductions in Medicare or Medicaid payments, whether driven by budget deficits, programmatic changes or otherwise; (iii) reductions in revenues from commercial payors, whether as a change in our revenue mix, reduction in commercial rates or otherwise;(iv) LifePoint’s ability to acquire hospitals on favorable terms, the business risks associated with acquiring additional hospitals and the uncertainty in operating and integrating such hospitals;(v) the ongoing, adverse effects from the recent economic recession including high rates of unemployment, which could intensify if credit conditions deteriorate; (vi) the failure of certain employers, or the closure of certain manufacturing and other facilities, especially in markets where LifePoint’s hospitals depend on a small number of local employers; (vii) the growth of uninsured and “patient due” accounts, and deterioration in the collectability of these accounts;(viii) whether our core strategies will result in anticipated operating results; (ix) whether our efforts to reduce the cost of providing healthcare while increasing the quality of care are successful; (x) the ability to attract, recruit and retain qualified physicians, nurses, medical technicians and other healthcare professionals; (xi) the loss of certain physicians in markets where such a loss can have a disproportionate impact on LifePoint’s hospitals; (xii) the increasingly stringent and complex legal and regulatory environment (and changing interpretations of applicable laws and regulations), increased legal and regulatory obligations and related enforcement activity, new obligations that providers must self-disclose violations, and the additional costs incurred in connection with efforts to comply with such laws and regulations; (xiii) competition from other hospitals and outpatient facilities providing services similar to those LifePoint offers and from physicians providing services in their offices that could be provided in LifePoint’s hospitals; (xiv) adverse events in states a large portion of LifePoint’s revenues are concentrated; (xv) any interruption of or restriction in LifePoint’s access to licensed information (and information technology systems) or failure in LifePoint’s ability to integrate changes to LifePoint’s existing information systems or information systems of acquired hospitals; (xvi) liabilities resulting from potential malpractice and related legal claims brought against LifePoint’s hospitals; and (xvii) those other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in LifePoint’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therefore, LifePoint’s future results may differ materially from those described in this release. LifePoint undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
All references to “LifePoint,” “LifePoint Hospitals” and the “Company” as used throughout this release refer to LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
CONTACT:
LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.
Jeff Sherman, 615-372-8501
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
KEYWORDS: United States North America Tennessee
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Hospitals
MEDIA:
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