Key insights
- Auna SAA ADR (AUNA) stock declined significantly after the company drastically lowered its 2026 EBITDA guidance. This revision is attributed to unexpected cost pressures arising from a specific payor contract in Colombia, linked to a higher incidence of advanced-stage cancer cases. While revenue guidance remains intact, the EBITDA outlook shift reflects a substantial change in expected profitability, impacting investor sentiment.
Investing.com --Auna SAA ADR (NYSE: AUNA) fell 15.7% in premarket trading Thursday after the Latin American healthcare company cut its 2026 EBITDA outlook due to cost pressures from a Colombia payor contract.
The company now expects consolidated Adjusted EBITDA to be broadly stable YoY, a sharp downgrade from its previous guidance of 10% to 14% FX-neutral growth. The revision stems from unexpected high incidence of advanced-stage cancer cases within a covered population under a specific payor contract in Colombia, creating additional temporary cost pressure.
Auna maintained its full-year 2026 revenue guidance of around 12% FX-neutral growth, supported by continued strong recovery in Mexico during the second half of the year. The company said its revenue outlook remains consistent with recently disclosed operating KPIs that reflect favorable volume and specialty service trends in the third quarter of 2026.
Capital expenditures remain within previously communicated guidance of approximately 4.0% of consolidated revenue. The company said Free Cash Flow and leverage continue to evolve favorably.
During its second-quarter 2026 earnings call, Auna had indicated that full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA growth was expected to be at the lower end of its guidance range, excluding one-time effects primarily related to payor billing penalties associated with reconciliations of prior years' receivables.
The company said it is completing its review of the implications of the Colombia payor contract on full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA and will provide additional details during its upcoming third-quarter 2026 earnings call.
Auna operates a healthcare platform across Mexico, Peru and Colombia. As of June 30, 2026, the company's network included 31 healthcare facilities with 2,337 beds and 1.4 million healthcare plans.
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