Teladoc Stock Crashes 40% on ‘Alarming’ Outlook, Several Analysts Downgrade to Neutral By Investing.com

Shares of Teladoc Health (NYSE:) are down as much as 41% in premarket trading Thursday after the company reported disappointing Q1 results.

Teladoc a Q1 loss per share of $41.58, including a goodwill impairment charge of $6.6 billion, which may not compare with an expected loss per share of 60c.

Adjusted EBITDA loss in the quarter totaled $54.5 million, compared to a $56.6 million profit in the same period last year and profit estimates of $53 million. Revenue came in at $565.4 million, up 25% YoY and missing the consensus estimates of $568.9 million.

For Q2, Teladoc expects revenue in the range of $580 million to $600 million, below the analyst expectations of $616.2 million. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $39 million to $49 million, much lower than the consensus projection of $71 million.

For the full year, TDOC expects revenue to be between $2.4 billion and $2.5 billion, compared to its previous forecast range of $2.55 billion to $2.65 billion, while analysts were expecting $2.58 billion.

The company expects adjusted EBITDA in the range of $240 million to $265 million, down from its previous guidance of $330 million to $355 million, and compared to the analyst estimates of $342.5 million.

“While we continue to see sustainable growth across our suite of products and services, we are revising our 2022 outlook to reflect dynamics we are currently experiencing in the direct-to-consumer mental health and chronic condition markets,” said CEO Jason Gorevic.

“In the chronic condition market, we are seeing an elongated sales cycle as employers and health plans evaluate their long-term strategies to deliver the benefits and care that their populations need,” Gorevic added.

Wells Fargo analysts Stephen Baxter and Stan Berenshteyn downgraded Teladoc to Equal Weight from Overweight with a $40.00 per share price target (down from $104.00).

“Our Overweight rating was predicated on the thesis that increasing competition in TDOC’s verticals would remain manageable and that the company would benefit from a trend away from point solutions, producing attractive organic revenue growth and gradual margin expansion. In our view, the Q1 update refutes that thesis and introduces significant uncertainty for the trajectory of revenue and margins over both the near and intermediate term,” the analysts wrote in a note.

Citi analyst Daniel Grosslight also moved to Neutral with a $43.00 per share price target, down from $115.00.

“1Q22 results (and our follow-up with mgmt.) reveal cracks in TDOC’s whole health foundation as increased competitive intensity is weighing on growth and margins. This is particularly apparent in TDOC’s fastest growing segments: DTC mental health and chronic care, which were supposed to drive growth over the next 3 years. And while we are reticent to make sweeping changes to our thesis based off of one poor quarter, we are doubtful that we will see the competition-driven headwinds abate anytime soon. This will keep TDOC’s share price in a tight band over the next twelve months,” Grosslight wrote in a note.

By Senad Karaahmetovic