DaVita (NYSE:DVA) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $240.07 and last traded at $240.1660, with a volume of 46619 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.31.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of DaVita from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $126.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of DaVita from $194.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of DaVita from $144.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of DaVita from $235.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of DaVita in a report on Monday, June 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.50.

DaVita Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $15.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.24, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $214.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.95.

DaVita (NYSE:DVA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.54. DaVita had a net margin of 5.65% and a negative return on equity of 270.37%. The firm had revenue of $3.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. DaVita has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.100-15.200 EPS. Analysts anticipate that DaVita Inc. will post 15.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at DaVita

In related news, CFO Joel Ackerman sold 51,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.10, for a total value of $9,887,579.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 132,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,440,571.40. This trade represents a 27.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Kathleen Alyce Waters sold 15,405 shares of DaVita stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.40, for a total value of $3,210,402.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 109,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,756,029.60. The trade was a 12.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DVA. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in DaVita by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 10,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,381,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of DaVita in the second quarter valued at $229,000. Polianta Ltd bought a new position in shares of DaVita in the second quarter valued at about $2,069,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of DaVita by 30.5% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 44,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,963,000 after purchasing an additional 10,477 shares during the period. Finally, Chapin Davis Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of DaVita during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,012,000. 90.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About DaVita

DaVita Inc (NYSE: DVA) is a leading provider of kidney care services, specializing in the management and operation of outpatient dialysis centers for patients with chronic kidney failure and end-stage renal disease. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the company offers a comprehensive suite of treatment modalities, including in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and home dialysis therapies. In addition to its core dialysis services, DaVita provides patient education, nutritional counseling, vascular access management and related laboratory services to support kidney health and overall patient well-being.

Since its formation in the mid-1990s through a clinical management services spin-off, DaVita has expanded both organically and through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.