Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.900-1.270 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.400. The company issued revenue guidance of $6.4 billion-$6.7 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $6.7 billion.

Ardent Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARDT opened at $9.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.03. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.31 and a beta of 0.46. Ardent Health has a 12 month low of $8.07 and a 12 month high of $15.48.

Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.03). Ardent Health had a net margin of 2.15% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. Ardent Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.900-1.270 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ardent Health will post 1.23 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ARDT. Leerink Partners set a $16.00 price objective on Ardent Health in a report on Friday, November 14th. KeyCorp cut shares of Ardent Health from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Ardent Health in a report on Monday, December 29th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of Ardent Health from $18.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Ardent Health from $21.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ardent Health presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.58.

Key Headlines Impacting Ardent Health

Here are the key news stories impacting Ardent Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management expects $485M–$535M of 2026 EBITDA through an “impact program” (cost savings) and is expanding AI-driven care initiatives — a clear signal of margin focus and operational improvement that can support earnings recovery over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript and slide presentation are available for investors who want the management commentary and detailed metrics behind the quarter and guidance. Useful for modeling recoveries or downside risk. Earnings Call Transcript Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed estimates: $0.32 EPS vs. $0.35 consensus and revenue $1.61B vs. $1.63B, with net margin and ROE compressed — a short?term catalyst for selling. Zacks Article
• Negative Sentiment: Ardent trimmed FY2026 EPS guidance to $0.90–$1.27 vs. the ~$1.40 consensus and gave revenue guidance slightly below Street expectations — a material downward revision that forces analysts to re?rate near?term estimates. Press Release / Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have filed or are soliciting clients to join securities class actions related to a November 2025 disclosure about receivables collectability (an alleged $97M accounting “shock” and use of a rigid 180?day cliff for reserves). The surge of litigation notices increases legal and reputational risk and is a near?term overhang on the stock. Representative filings/alerts: Rosen, Hagens Berman, Pomerantz, Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, Schall, Bronstein, ClaimsFiler and others. Rosen Notice Schall Notice

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ardent Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ardent Health by 0.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 286,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,918,000 after acquiring an additional 1,769 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Ardent Health by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 27,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 2,110 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Ardent Health by 1,177.7% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,638 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Ardent Health by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 16,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 3,272 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Ardent Health by 121.4% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 6,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter.

About Ardent Health

Ardent Health, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ARDT, is a healthcare delivery company focused on acquiring, developing and managing acute care hospitals and complementary outpatient facilities across the United States. The company’s integrated platform encompasses both inpatient and outpatient services, designed to provide end-to-end care solutions and address the full continuum of patient needs.

Through its network, Ardent Health operates general hospitals, emergency departments, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care clinics, rehabilitation and post-acute care facilities.