Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Ardent Health, Inc. (NYSE:ARDT) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 823,179 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 91% from the previous session’s volume of 430,845 shares.The stock last traded at $9.52 and had previously closed at $9.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ARDT. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ardent Health from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Ardent Health in a research note on Friday, June 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ardent Health from $13.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Ardent Health from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their target price on shares of Ardent Health from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.21.

Ardent Health Stock Down 1.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $9.51 and its 200-day moving average is $9.13. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. Ardent Health had a net margin of 2.09% and a return on equity of 13.85%. Ardent Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.900-1.270 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ardent Health, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ardent Health

In other news, CFO Alfred Lumsdaine purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.81 per share, with a total value of $88,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 329,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,900,102.23. This trade represents a 3.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Ardent Health by 1,177.7% during the fourth 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. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank purchased a new position in Ardent Health during the third quarter worth about $61,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings 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 worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new position in Ardent Health during the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Abel Hall LLC purchased a new position in Ardent Health during the first quarter worth about $87,000.

Ardent Health Company Profile

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.