By Nikita Maria Jino

Jan 8 (Reuters) - AVITA Medical's AVH.AX Australia-listed shares sank nearly 19% on Wednesday, set for their worst day in 15 months, after the regenerative medicine firm cut its forecast for the fourth time in five quarters and pushed out its profitability target.

The U.S.-based company estimated its commercial revenue was about $64.3 million in fiscal 2024, lower than its forecast of $68 million to $70 million, due to slower-than-expected purchases from hospitals in the last quarter.

"While this type of behavior is common at year-end, the extent was more pronounced than we had anticipated," the company said in a statement released after the end of U.S. trading hours.

AVITA's shares tumbled 18.8% to a two-month low of A$3.53, while the broader S&P/ASX 200 healthcare index .AXHJ was 0.7% higher. Its U.S.-listed shares RCEL.O slid 11.5% in extended trading hours.

The company said it now expects to be profitable in the fourth quarter, not the third, of fiscal 2025. It said it expects hospital purchases to return to normal in this quarter and forecast full-year revenue of $100 million to $106 million.

"While we think investors had limited expectations on GAAP profitability, we view the fiscal 2025 guidance as simply too aggressive," analysts at brokerage BTIG said in a note.

With a limited sales trajectory, "we would like to see AVITA take a more conservative approach, given its guidance history."

California-based AVITA is scheduled to report full-year results on Feb. 13.

(Reporting by Nikita Maria Jino and Aaditya Govind Rao in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

((Nikita.Jino@thomsonreuters.com;))