Wayne DeVeydt, executive vice president and chief financial officer of
WellPoint, said, "The financial model we have put in place continues to be
validated by our strong earnings growth this year. We are confident that
this growth will continue in the coming year as we reinvest in our business
and continue our membership growth momentum, particularly in national
accounts, senior, and local group markets. We also expect to continue to
improve our efficiency by further executing on our system migration
strategy and by standardizing service operations to reduce costs while
providing excellent service to our members."
DeVeydt provided the following specific guidance for 2008:
- Net income is expected to be $6.41 per fully diluted share,
representing growth of 15.3 percent over 2007 expectations.
- Operating revenue is expected to total approximately $63.9 billion, or
an increase of 6.1 percent when compared to 2007 expectations.
- Medical enrollment is expected to reach 35.9 million, an increase of
approximately 1.0 million members, or 2.9 percent, over 2007
expectations.
- The benefit expense ratio is expected to decrease to approximately 81.6
percent, a decline of 40 basis points from 2007 expectations.
- The SG&A expense ratio is expected to decrease to approximately 14.4
percent, an improvement of 30 basis points from 2007 expectations.
- Cash flow from operations is expected to be approximately $4.4 billion
in 2008, or 1.2 times net income.
A webcast of the investor conference will be available on http://www.wellpoint.com for a period of two weeks following the conference.
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint's mission is to improve the lives of the people it serves and
the health of
'/>"/>
| SOURCE WellPoint, Inc. Copyright©2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |