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Ramsay Health Care shares rocket 14% to record high as investors cheer turnaround and European spinoff plan. Investors rally behind Ramsay Health Care as it plans a European business spinoff and prepares for its full-year earnings release. Published 08/27/26 AT 1:56 PM AEST SYDNEY - Shares of Ramsay Health Care Ltd surged more than 14% Wednesday, closing at $50.29, up $6.27 on the day, as investors piled into Australia's largest private hospital operator ahead of its full-year earnings release and amid growing optimism over a planned spinoff of its European business. The rally pushed the stock to a fresh high, extending a run that has seen shares climb steadily through 2026 as the Sydney-based company works through a multiyear turnaround built around cost discipline, capacity expansion in Australia and a restructuring of its troubled international operations. Ramsay, which operates roughly 72 private hospitals and day surgery units across Australia along with facilities in the United Kingdom, France and the Nordic region, is scheduled to release its full fiscal 2026 results this week, a report investors have been watching closely for signs the company's recovery is gaining traction. Momentum built through the year Wednesday's jump builds on a pattern investors have seen before. When Ramsay released its half-year results in February, underlying net profit after tax rose 8.1% to $171.7 million, with underlying earnings before interest and tax up 7.3%, driven largely by an 8.2% revenue increase in its core Australian hospital business. That report sent shares up more than 10% in a single session. "After 12 months in the role, I'm pleased to report that we're making good progress on our key priorities," Ramsay chief executive Natalie Davis told analysts on the company's half-year earnings call in February, according to a transcript of the call. The company's Australian division has been the primary engine of that progress, benefiting from higher patient activity, improved capacity utilization at its hospitals and stronger private health insurance indexation. Ramsay has also been opening new theatres and procedure rooms, part of a broader capital investment program the company has said will continue through fiscal 2026, even as it lowered its overall group capital expenditure guidance to between $755 million and $795 million for the year. Overseas, the picture has been more mixed. Ramsay's UK acute hospital business has been managing tighter National Health Service budget constraints, while its French and Nordic operations under Ramsay Santé have faced persistent government funding pressure and thin tariff indexation relative to cost inflation. A European spinoff takes shape Much of Wednesday's enthusiasm also traces back to a restructuring plan Ramsay unveiled earlier this year. In February, the company announced a proposal to distribute its 52.79% stake in Ramsay Santé, its European healthcare arm, directly to Ramsay Health Care shareholders through an in-specie distribution, pending approval. Ramsay Santé's own board met Wednesday to review provisional annual results for the year ended June 30, 2026, according to a company statement, with final audited figures due for approval by its board in October. The French unit also confirmed it completed a refinancing of its senior debt in July, a move it said would strengthen its financial flexibility and support long-term strategic plans. The proposed separation would mark a significant simplification of Ramsay's corporate structure, allowing the Australian parent to focus more squarely on its higher-margin domestic hospital network while giving shareholders direct exposure to the European business, which has weighed on group earnings in recent years through impairments and subdued profitability. Analysts had been positioning for a beat Even before Wednesday's surge, analysts had grown more constructive on the stock. A recent rating tracked by TipRanks pegged Ramsay as a "Buy" with a price target of $47.60, a level Wednesday's close now exceeds. Separate analysis from Simply Wall St estimated the stock's fair value near $55.12, noting shares had already risen roughly 13% over the prior 90 days heading into this week's results. Trading platforms had also flagged Thursday, Aug. 27, as the date for Ramsay's full-year results release on the Australian Securities Exchange, a filing that would give investors their clearest look yet at how the turnaround strategy performed across a full 12 months, including the critical earnings contribution from the Australian business over the back half of the fiscal year. Wall Street-style earnings estimates compiled by financial data providers had projected fiscal 2026 earnings per share of roughly 95 cents, with a further rise to $1.13 forecast for fiscal 2027, alongside expected revenue of about $13.56 billion for the current year, climbing to roughly $14.11 billion the following year. Governance changes underway The rally also came against a backdrop of board renewal at the company. Ramsay recently disclosed that non-executive director Claudia Süssmuth Dyckerhoff will retire effective Aug. 31 after eight years on the board, including service on its risk management committee. Chair David Thodey credited her international healthcare experience in a statement announcing the departure, while the company said ongoing board renewal remains central to its governance strategy. What comes next For a stock that has spent much of the past several years under pressure - weighed down by pandemic-era disruptions, UK funding constraints and impairments tied to its European mental health operations - Wednesday's move signals renewed investor confidence that the worst may be behind the company. Attention now turns to Thursday's scheduled results release, where investors will look for confirmation that the momentum seen in the first half carried through the year, along with further detail on the timeline and mechanics of the Ramsay Santé distribution. The company has also flagged a full-year dividend payout ratio target of 60% to 70% of underlying net profit after tax, a figure that will be closely watched alongside the headline earnings numbers. Ramsay Health Care has not issued a statement specifically addressing Wednesday's share price move.

Ramsay Health Care reports $329M FY26 profit. * Ramsay Health Care delivers an FY26 net profit after tax of $329.2 million. * The company determined a fully franked final dividend of 48.5 cents per share. * Performance momentum in Australia and operational improvements drove earnings growth across all regions. Ramsay Health Care (ASX:RHC) reported a full-year net profit after tax of $329.2 million for the twelve months ended June 30. The result represents a significant gain from the $24 million net profit reported in the prior corresponding period. "Our Australian hospitals business delivered a strong performance, with our transformation continuing to build momentum behind our 'Big 5' hospital initiatives," said Ramsay Health Care CEO Natalie Davis. Underlying EBIT rose 11.5% to $1.16 billion, while group capital expenditure was kept below the revised range at $729 million. Ramsay Santé reported a reduced underlying loss after minority interests despite a €20m reduction in French government subsidies and the continued inadequacy of French hospital tariff indexation relative to cost inflation. Following the announcement, the Ramsay Health Care share price was unchanged at $44.02. The board declared a fully franked final dividend of 48.5 cents per share, bringing its total dividend to 91 cents per share. For FY27, Australia is targeting incremental EBIT growth and margin expansion driven by activity growth, improved capacity utilisation, revenue indexation in line with cost indexation, and operational improvement initiatives, as well as a $10-15 million increase in opex investment in IT, technology and transformation. The healthcare provider noted that operational progress in Australia was supported by a 3.3% increase in activity growth. The company also stated that the proposed in-specie distribution of Ramsay Santé remains on track for completion in 2026. Frequently asked questions. RHC signals

Ramsay Health Care taps Karen Phipson for the role of GM, marketing & patient experience. Published on: 19th August 2026 at 9:57 AM Ramsay Health Care has appointed Karen Phipson to a newly created role of general manager, marketing and patient experience. The position builds marketing into a strategic growth capability as part of the company's transformation under Group CEO and managing director Natalie Davis. Phipson has joined Ramsay in the newly created role, reporting to chief commercial officer, Andrew Coombs. Her remit brings together brand, patient and referrer marketing, digital, patient experience and demand generation. Phipson joins from Life Without Barriers, where she was executive general manager, marketing and communications. She has more than 20 years' experience across marketing, sales, customer strategy and commercial transformation, including senior roles at Australian Unity Home Health and Optus. The appointment comes as Ramsay strengthens its focus on growth in local hospital catchments, more connected patient, GP and specialist journeys, and a more measurable marketing capability. Coombs said marketing would play an increasingly important role in Ramsay's growth strategy. "Our intention is to build marketing as a growth capability that improves patient experience, strengthens connections with patients, GPs and specialists, supports growth in our local hospital catchments and creates measurable commercial value," he said. "Ultimately, that means making it easier for people to find and access the right care when they need it. Karen's experience across customer, commercial growth and transformation makes her well placed to lead that next phase." Phipson said the opportunity to make healthcare easier to navigate was a key attraction of the role. "Healthcare decisions can be some of the most important people make, but they can also be some of the hardest to navigate. The opportunity is to make it easier for patients to understand their options and access care with greater confidence, while demonstrating the commercial value marketing can create," she said. "Ramsay has significant scale, trusted relationships with doctors and patients, and a clear ambition for the future. Marketing can help connect those strengths through better journeys, stronger engagement and a more consistent patient experience." Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.