The latest Market Talks covering the Health Care sector. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
0655 GMT - Chularat Hospital faces a revenue hit in 2026 from Middle East tensions, CGS International's Kasem Prunratanamala says in a research report. At an analyst meeting, management expressed caution over its outlook owing to these tensions, noting potential spillover to Thailand's economy and domestic patient traffic. The Thai hospital's inpatient revenues are likely to fall 5% this year, the analyst estimates. The brokerage cuts its 2026 revenue growth forecast for the hospital to 1% from 4%, and lowers the stock's target price to THB1.95 from THB2.04. However, CGS International maintains the stock's add rating, supported by expected earnings recovery for the hospital in 2027-2028. Shares are 1.4% higher at THB1.45. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
0556 GMT - Haw Par's share price seems to undervalue the cash generation of its underlying business, say Macquarie Capital analysts in a note. Haw Par, which owns pain relief brand Tiger Balm, has relatively stable healthcare sales and the analysts expect the company's 2026-2028 profit at S$276 million-S$292 million, excluding fair-value gains on investments. Haw Par also has holdings in United Overseas Bank and property developer UOL Group, both with strong market positions, they note. These investments represent around 70% of Macquarie's estimated net asset value for Haw Par, they say. A re-rating of Haw Par's underlying asset base could be a key share-price catalyst, they add. Macquarie starts coverage of Haw Par with an outperform rating and S$20.60 target price. Shares rise 2.6% to S$15.79. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
2206 GMT - Sigma Healthcare's share price recently dropped to a more than one-year low, leading Jefferies to turn bullish on the pharmacy owner's stock. Analyst David Stanton says Sigma is a high-quality retail franchise. "We expect growth to continue, notwithstanding moderating impact from GLP-1 sales in 2H FY26," Jefferies says. It expects Sigma's profit margins to expand more. That's due to increased volumes off a fixed-cost base and ongoing growth in higher-margin generic drugs. Jefferies also expects Sigma to make improvements in its wholesaling business. It upgrades Sigma to buy, from hold. Sigma ended Thursday at A$2.66, below Jefferies's A$3.05/share price target. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 04:20 ET (08:20 GMT)
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