Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the "Baa2" rating assigned to Carroll, Iowa-based St. Anthony Regional Hospital's bonds and revised the hospital's outlook to stable from negative.
The rating action affects approximately $10 million of debt.
Here are four things to know about the rating action and outlook revision.
1. The rating action is supported by a number of factors, including St. Anthony's position as the dominant provider in a broad six county service area and good balance sheet
metrics, according to Moody's.
2. St. Anthony's also faces some challenges which were considered for the rating action, such as the hospital's small size, making it vulnerable to financial variability and physician departures.
3. The outlook revision is based on stronger operating performance in 2014 and 2015, partly due to the addition of specialists.
4. The hospital's stable outlook reflects Moody's expectations "that St. Anthony's improved operating performance will be sustained given management's physician recruitment plans and other initiatives."