Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Quest Diagnostics, Encompass Health, DaVita and The Pennant

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – July 3, 2025 – Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses Quest Diagnostics Inc. DGX, Encompass Health Corp. EHC, DaVita Inc. DVA and The Pennant Group, Inc. PNTG.Industry: Outpatient HealthcareLink: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/2560296/4-stocks-to-watch-in-a-rapidly-shifting-outpatient-home-health-spaceThe Zacks Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry has been witnessing a rapid shift toward digital healthcare treatment. In the past few years, there has been a significant rise in demand for telemedicine-focused online medical and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology services.The rising elderly global population is necessitating many healthcare companies that were traditionally not technology-based to provide technology-enabled services to survive in the market. Per a report by Grand View Research, the global home healthcare market was valued at $390.24 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to witness a CAGR of approximately 7.9% between 2024 and 2030. Another factor prompting these MedTech players to embrace digital healthcare is the skyrocketing healthcare costs.On a positive note, rising dependence on telehealth and AI is likely to help the industry thrive in the near term. Quest Diagnostics Inc., Encompass Health Corp., DaVita Inc. and The Pennant Group, Inc. are likely to gain from the prospects.Industry DescriptionThe industry comprises companies that offer ambulatory care in an outpatient setting or at home. They use advanced medical technologies for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation services. The players include operators of HMO medical centers, kidney dialysis centers and other outpatient care centers.After navigating a tough pandemic era, the payers and providers have been seeing steady growth on the back of innovation in services. This buoys optimism about prospects over the next few years, although persistent inflation in consumer prices could dent the outlook.The potential for scaling up innovation, prompted by the pandemic's pressure on the healthcare system, is an added plus. Also, the acceleration of value-based care models and the increasing application of technology across the healthcare industry are likely to continue in the long run.Major Trends Shaping the Future of the Outpatient and Home Healthcare IndustryAging Population: One of the primary drivers of the home healthcare market is the aging global population. As people live longer, there is a growing demand for services that cater to chronic disease management, rehabilitation and daily living assistance. The rising elderly population is expected to fuel the need for home healthcare services.Cost Effectiveness: The primary advantage of outpatient clinics is cost-effectiveness. Outpatient medical care clinics do not retain patients for long hours (overnight) or charge exorbitantly. Modern-day outpatient clinics offer a broad spectrum of treatment and diagnostic options and even minor surgical procedures. Financial incentives like health plans and government program payment policies supporting services in lower-cost care settings have also been driving outpatient care.Additionally, with value-based models of care steadily emerging as the future of healthcare, the shift from fee-for-service (FFS) to alternative payment models (APM) is an ongoing parallel trend. FFS will be crucial to care organizations as a benchmark through which providers can assess APM.AI's Dominant Role: AI has been a roaring success in healthcare. Outpatient companies prefer bots and automated techniques for managing health information. With the help of AI, hospitals have been achieving better outcomes, with patients receiving more efficient and personalized care. The outpatient industry has been generating huge profits from electronic health records (EHRs) and ePrescriptions.Technological Advancements: Virtual assistants and chatbots can help patients by answering questions about their care and connecting them with the information they need to make more informed decisions about their care. Increasingly, they will interface with EHR systems and be used to book and schedule appointments. They can also help patients stay compliant by reminding them to take medications or exercise.Home healthcare can gain from the benefits provided by Medicare (and several other payers), which comprise a broad range of services that can be delivered in a patient's home, including post-operative and chronic wound care. Home healthcare has seen a surge in the utilization of the telehealth platform in response to the pandemic. With a rise in the elderly population and the increasing costs of in-person health care, the demand for home-based health care is on the rise. People with chronic illnesses and disabilities also require home-based care.Staffing Shortages: The U.S. healthcare industry has been experiencing a severe shortage of workers at every level. Among support personnel, there is a laxity of home health aides. The increasing international migration of health workers may aggravate health workforce shortfalls, especially in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Another reason for the acute staffing shortage is high burnout due to physical, emotional and mental exhaustion. Thus, these overworked employees are leaving the profession at an accelerating rate.Tariff Impact: The newly imposed U.S. tariffs have significantly raised the cost of imported medical supplies, straining home healthcare providers that are already operating on tight margins. While aimed at boosting domestic production, immediate investments remain limited, and supply chain disruptions persist. As a result, home healthcare services face rising operational costs and product shortages, undermining supply reliability rather than strengthening it as originally intended.Zacks Industry RankThe Zacks Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry falls within the broader Zacks Medical sector. It has a Zacks Industry Rank #47, which places it in the top 19% of nearly 250 Zacks industries.The group's Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates promising near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.Before we present a few outpatient home health stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let's take a look at the industry's recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.Industry's Stock Market PerformanceThe industry has outperformed its sector, but has underperformed the S&P 500 Composite in the past year.The industry has gained 6.8% over this period compared with the S&P 500's 12.1% gain and the broader sector's decline of 12%.Industry's Current ValuationOn the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E), commonly used for valuing medical stocks, the industry is currently trading at 19.8X compared with the S&P 500's 22.3X and the sector's 19X.Over the last five years, the industry has traded as high as 25.3X and as low as 17.1X, with the median being at 20.2X.4 Outpatient and Home Healthcare Stocks to Watch NowQuest Diagnostics: Quest Diagnostics, a well-known diagnostic information services provider, reported its first-quarter 2025 results in April. The company's top line benefited from a rebound in demand in March, following weather-related disruptions earlier in the quarter. The growth was led by contributions from acquisitions and large enterprise accounts, as well as the robust uptake of Quest Diagnostics' advanced diagnostics portfolio and expanded health plan access. DGX carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).For this Secaucus, NJ-based company, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues suggests growth of 9.2%. The same for earnings indicates an increase of 8.6%.Quest Diagnostics' return on equity (ROE) of 15.1% compares favorably with the industry's 7.9%.Encompass Health: Encompass Health (a well-known owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals) announced preliminary plans to build a freestanding, 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in North Las Vegas, NV (in June) and another in the master-planned community of Waterset in Apollo Beach, FL.EHC presently carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.For this Birmingham, AL-based company, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues suggests growth of 9.5%. The same for earnings indicates an increase of 13.1%.Encompass Health's ROE of 17.6% compares favorably with the industry's 7.9%.The Pennant Group: It is the parent company of the Pennant Group of affiliated home health, hospice and senior living companies. This month, The Pennant Group announced the acquisition of GrandCare Health Services, a premier home health agency. The newly acquired agency, to be known as GrandCare Home Health, is expected to provide services in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties in California, and broaden Pennant Group's service area in the region. PNTG carries a Zacks Rank of 2.For this Eagle, ID-based company, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues suggests growth of 23.3%. The same for earnings indicates an increase of 18.1%.Pennant Group's ROE of 10.7% compares favorably with the industry's 7.9%.DaVita: DaVita, a renowned global comprehensive kidney care provider, reported its first-quarter 2025 results in May. The company registered an uptick in its top line and revenue per treatment. Solid dialysis patient service revenues and the per-day increase in total U.S. dialysis treatments for the first quarter on a sequential basis were also recorded.On the earnings call, management confirmed that DaVita is dispensing phosphate binders for physician orders and receiving reimbursement from CMS and Medicare Advantage plans on a per-script basis during the initial TDAPA period. Management sounded optimistic about the revenue contribution of these drugs to the company's full-year operating income. DVA carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).For this Denver, CO-based company, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues suggests growth of 5.2%. The same for earnings indicates an increase of 11.2%.DaVita's ROE of 176.1% compares favorably with the industry's 7.9%.Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.See Stocks Free >>Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch/Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.Media ContactZacks Investment Research800-767-3771 ext. 9339support@zacks.comhttps://www.zacks.comPast performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance  for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (DGX): Free Stock Analysis Report DaVita Inc. (DVA): Free Stock Analysis Report Encompass Health Corporation (EHC): Free Stock Analysis Report The Pennant Group, Inc. (PNTG): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks