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Expanding Care Domains And Telemedicine Will Unlock New Markets

Published
23 Apr 25
Updated
17 Dec 25
Views
153
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AnalystConsensusTarget's Fair Value
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1Y
-31.6%
7D
9.4%

Author's Valuation

US$9.2562.2% undervalued intrinsic discount

AnalystConsensusTarget Fair Value

Last Update 17 Dec 25

LFMD: Telehealth Focus And Weight Management Reset Will Drive Future Margin Expansion

Analysts have trimmed LifeMD's average price target by several dollars per share, citing Q3 revenue and EBITDA misses, increased competitive pressure in weight management, and revised revenue guidance that temper near term expectations despite a still constructive long term outlook.

Analyst Commentary

Bullish analysts acknowledge the near term disappointment but stress that the core telehealth and pharmacy platform remains intact, with structural drivers that can support renewed growth once competitive and reimbursement dynamics in weight management stabilize.

Bearish analysts, meanwhile, are focused on execution risks in the weight management business and the potential for continued estimate revisions if competitive intensity persists or if the company fails to fully offset lost volume with higher quality, better reimbursed offerings.

Bullish Takeaways

  • Despite lower price targets, bullish analysts are maintaining positive ratings, arguing that the current valuation already reflects near term headwinds and offers upside if management delivers on revised 2025 revenue targets.
  • Several note that LifeMD is now a more focused pure play telehealth and pharmacy business after divesting noncore assets, which they view as improving capital allocation and long term margin potential.
  • Some see the current competitive pressure in weight management as cyclical, expecting that regulatory scrutiny of lower cost compounded GLP 1 offerings will eventually favor higher quality, compliant platforms, supporting reacceleration in growth into 2026.
  • A view among more optimistic commentators is that Q3 still showed underlying operational progress, suggesting that once the competitive overhang eases, the company can return to a more scalable growth and EBITDA trajectory.

Bearish Takeaways

  • Bearish analysts are emphasizing the top and bottom line misses in Q3 as evidence that execution risk is rising, leading to lower revenue and EBITDA forecasts and reduced valuation multiples.
  • There is concern that aggressive discounting from compounded GLP 1 marketers could pressure LifeMD's weight management volumes and pricing for longer than initially expected, limiting visibility into growth.
  • Revised guidance for the standalone telehealth business is viewed as a signal that management may have previously underestimated competitive intensity, increasing the probability of further estimate cuts if conditions do not improve.
  • Some see the reset in targets from double digit price levels to mid single digits as indicative that the risk reward has become more balanced, with less room for execution missteps before additional downside is priced in.

What's in the News

  • Issued new fourth quarter and full year 2025 revenue guidance, projecting Q4 revenue of $45 million to $46 million and full year 2025 revenue of $192 million to $193 million, implying 24 percent growth versus 2024 (Corporate Guidance).
  • Disclosed it will be unable to file its next Form 10 Q with the SEC by the required deadline, signaling a delay in quarterly financial reporting (Delayed SEC Filings).
  • Expanded its collaboration with Novo Nordisk to offer Ozempic, a GLP 1 therapy for type 2 diabetes, at $499 per month for eligible patients, with integrated access to all FDA approved dose strengths through LifeMD's virtual care platform and NovoCare Pharmacy (Client Announcements).
  • Enhanced its affiliated pharmacy with advanced non sterile compounding capabilities for oral and topical medications, enabling customized therapies, operational savings, and reduced reliance on third party providers across key service areas such as men's and women's health and dermatology (Business Expansions).

Valuation Changes

  • Fair Value: Unchanged at $9.25 per share, indicating no adjustment to the intrinsic value estimate despite updated assumptions.
  • Discount Rate: Risen slightly from approximately 8.26 percent to 8.30 percent, reflecting a modestly higher perceived risk profile or cost of capital.
  • Revenue Growth: Effectively unchanged, remaining around negative 1.28 percent, suggesting stable expectations for the top line trajectory in the current model.
  • Net Profit Margin: Essentially flat at roughly 7.11 percent, indicating no material change in long term profitability assumptions.
  • Future P/E: Increased marginally from about 39.8x to 39.9x, implying a slightly higher valuation multiple applied to projected earnings.

Key Takeaways

  • Expansion into new care areas and insurance partnerships broadens market reach, reduces concentration risk, and supports stability in patient acquisition and revenue.
  • Enhanced AI integration and the subscription-based care model improve operational efficiency, patient retention, and margin growth through automation and recurring revenue streams.
  • Escalating competition, high refund rates, and heavy reliance on a few sectors expose LifeMD to margin pressure, revenue volatility, and concentrated business risk.

Catalysts

About LifeMD
    Operates as a direct-to-patient telehealth company that connects consumers to healthcare professionals for medical care in the United States.
What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
  • The continued expansion into new care domains-including behavioral health and women's health-positions LifeMD to capture significant incremental patient volume from large, historically underserved segments, supporting long-term revenue growth and reduced concentration risk.
  • Deepening integration of AI and automation into the care platform is likely to further increase operational efficiencies and provider productivity, compressing administrative costs and driving sustained margin expansion.
  • Ongoing buildout of insurance partnerships-targeting coverage for up to 160 million lives by year-end and scaling programs for GLP-1 therapies and women's health-should unlock a larger addressable market, enhance patient lifetime value, and improve revenue stability through higher insurance-sponsored patient adoption.
  • Robust digital transformation in patient preferences and mainstreaming of telemedicine, combined with the convenience and accessibility of LifeMD's subscription-based, direct-to-consumer care model, is expected to sustain high user engagement and long-term subscriber growth.
  • The impending launch and scaling of the LifeMD+ membership program, offering enhanced preventative and primary care packages, is likely to drive further increases in patient retention, recurring revenue, and net margins over time.

LifeMD Earnings and Revenue Growth

LifeMD Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

How have these above catalysts been quantified?
  • Analysts are assuming LifeMD's revenue will grow by 14.6% annually over the next 3 years.
  • Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from -3.7% today to 8.1% in 3 years time.
  • Analysts expect earnings to reach $30.0 million (and earnings per share of $0.38) by about September 2028, up from $-9.0 million today.
  • In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 31.3x on those 2028 earnings, up from -32.0x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the US Healthcare Services industry at 54.8x.
  • Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to grow by 7.0% per year for the next 3 years.
  • To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 8.0%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

LifeMD Future Earnings Per Share Growth

LifeMD Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

What could happen that would invalidate this narrative?
  • Rising customer acquisition costs in highly competitive sectors such as ED (erectile dysfunction) and weight management, as evidenced by recent periods where CACs increased 15–25% sequentially, threaten to compress net margins and constrain future earnings growth if persistent.
  • Elevated refund rates in the weight management segment, driven by lack of insurance coverage and the unaffordability of branded GLP-1 therapies, could undermine revenue growth and increase operational expenses due to higher churn and lower conversion rates.
  • Lowered 2025 revenue and EBITDA guidance-attributable largely to unforeseen headwinds in the RexMD business and short-term weight management issues-indicate volatility and may signal ongoing challenges in sustaining top-line and bottom-line growth.
  • Dependence on a small number of verticals (notably weight management, RexMD/men's health, and WorkSimpli) exposes LifeMD to revenue concentration risk, making it vulnerable to competitive pressures, regulatory changes, or payer exclusions in these categories, directly impacting revenue stability.
  • Despite building out insurance coverage, the insurance business remains a small portion of current operations, and meaningful scaling is deferred until at least 2026, posing a risk that slower-than-expected adoption, reimbursement issues, or adverse payer relationships could negatively impact long-term revenue growth and unit economics.

Valuation

How have all the factors above been brought together to estimate a fair value?
  • The analysts have a consensus price target of $12.875 for LifeMD based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $18.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $8.0.
  • In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $370.0 million, earnings will come to $30.0 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 31.3x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.0%.
  • Given the current share price of $6.1, the analyst price target of $12.88 is 52.6% higher.
  • We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.

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Disclaimer

AnalystConsensusTarget is a tool utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) that ingests data on consensus price targets, forecasted revenue and earnings figures, as well as the transcripts of earnings calls to produce qualitative analysis. The narratives produced by AnalystConsensusTarget are general in nature and are based solely on analyst data and publicly-available material published by the respective companies. These scenarios are not indicative of the company's future performance and are exploratory in nature. Simply Wall St has no position in the company(s) mentioned. Simply Wall St may provide the securities issuer or related entities with website advertising services for a fee, on an arm's length basis. These relationships have no impact on the way we conduct our business, the content we host, or how our content is served to users. The price targets and estimates used are consensus data, and do not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and they do not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Note that AnalystConsensusTarget's analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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