Analysts bullish on hospitals on expansion plans, recovery in non-Covid biz

Experts note that the transition of the sector to the asset-light model has significantly enabled it to use fewer funds for setting up hospitals, thus bringing significantly higher returns on equity

The Street’s response to hospital stocks has largely been positive since April this year. Barring a few big names such as Apollo Hospitals, and Fortis Healthcare, most stocks have outperformed the markets.

Aster DM Healthcare, Shalby, and Max Healthcare have been the top performers during this period, having gained up to 23 per cent as compared to a 3-per cent slide each in the BSE Sensex, and BSE Healthcare indices.

Going ahead, analysts expect the momentum to continue as the prospects remain fairly upbeat. The sector, they say, is a favorable bet over the medium-to-long term as most players are