CardioNet Takes a Beating, But Keeps on Ticking

CardioNet (BEAT) is currently trading about 50% below its 50-day moving average at $6.27/share on 7/27/09 with value parameters that include a price/book ratio (PBR) of 0.95X, price/sales ratio (PSR) of 1.1X, and a trailing price/earnings (P/E) ratio of 19.5X with a market cap of about $150 million that includes over $50 million in cash and negligible debt.

In mid-July, shares of BEAT tanked after the Company withdrew its 2009 financial outlook following a major cut in the reimbursement rate by Pennsylvania Medicare carrier Highmark for the Company's mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry (MCOT) services. As of 9/1/09, Highmark's reimbursement rate for MCOT services will decrease to $754, compared to the previous rate of $1,123 per service.

CardioNet's MCOT is an ambulatory cardiac monitoring service that analyzes patients' heartbeats on a real-time basis and includes automatic arrhythmia detection and wireless ECG transmission. The technology benefits both patients and physicians by providing 24/7 monitoring throughout the year on a remote basis to aid in the correct diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias that may otherwise not be detected through Holter monitors or other instruments.