NEW YORK, September 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

ACI Association has initiated research coverage on WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG). Select highlights from the internally released reports are being made available to the general public (included below), with access to the entirety of the research available to new members.

Today, membership is open to readers on a complementary basis at the following URL: http://www.aciassociation.com/reports?keyword=WCG

Highlights from our WCG Report include: 


        
        - Better-than-Expected Results - On August 5, 2015, WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
          reported its Q2 2015 financial results. Total premium revenue rose 10.3% Y-o-Y to
          $3.48 billion mainly due to Medicaid membership growth and changes in membership mix.
          Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected revenues of $3.45 billion. The Company
          posted net income of $51.7 million or $1.17 per diluted share, compared with a net
          loss of $7.5 million or $0.17 per diluted share in Q2 2014. Adjusted net income came
          in at $59.5 million or $1.34 per diluted share, above Thomson Reuters' analysts'
          estimate of $0.96 per share for the quarter.



        
        - Medicaid Health Plans Post Strong Growth - The Company stated that as of June 30,
          2015, its Medicaid Health Plans segment membership rose 10.8% Y-o-Y to 2.4 million
          members, resulting primarily from membership growth in Florida, Illinois, and Kentucky
          and the inclusion of membership from the Company's New Jersey acquisition that was
          completed on July 1, 2014. This segment's premium revenue surged 20.1% Y-o-Y to $2.2
          billion, driven by the increase in membership and changes in the demographic mix of
          membership. Moreover, this segment's Medical Benefits Ratios (MBR) saw a growth of 470
          bps year-over-year to reach 88.8%.



        
        - Medicare Health Plans Performance - As of June 30, 2015, the Company's Medicare
          Health Plans segment membership declined by 1.8% Y-o-Y to 388,000 members, primarily
          resulting from Medicare bid positioning for 2015. The segment's premium revenue was up
          1.5% Y-o-Y to $992.6 million due to the 2015 bid results and higher premium yields.
          The Medicare Health Plans segment MBR was 86.4%, representing an increase of 190 bps
          from Q2 2014.



        
        - Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) Results - As of June 30, 2015, the
          Company's Medicare PDP segment membership decreased 20.7% Y-o-Y to c. 1.05 million
          members. The Company stated that this year-over-year decline in membership was
          primarily the result of the 2015 bid and was in-line with the Company's expectations.
          The segment's premium revenue was $235.0 million, down by a 20.9% Y-o-Y, primarily due
          to the decline in membership resulting from the outcome of the 2015 Medicare PDP bids.
          Furthermore, the segment's MBR stood at 79.2%, down from 92.6% in Q2 2014.



        
        - Guidance for Full Year - For full-year 2015, WellCare Health Plans expects to
          generate Premium revenue of $13.5 billion to $13.75 billion and adjusted earnings per
          diluted share between $3.30 and $3.45.

To find out how this influences our rating on WellCare Health Plans, Inc., read the full report in its entirety here: http://www.aciassociation.com/reports?keyword=WCG

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