Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) Stock Price Up 9% – Still a Buy?

Ardent Health, Inc. (NYSE:ARDT)’s stock price was up 9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $11.35 and last traded at $11.3540. 38,422 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 451,761 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.42.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Ardent Health from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Ardent Health in a report on Friday, June 12th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Ardent Health from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ardent Health from $13.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ardent Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.04.

Ardent Health Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.64 and its 200 day moving average is $9.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.76.

Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.10. Ardent Health had a net margin of 2.09% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. Ardent Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.900-1.270 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ardent Health, Inc. will post 1.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ardent Health

In other news, CFO Alfred Lumsdaine bought 10,000 shares of Ardent Health stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.81 per share, with a total value of $88,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARDT. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Ardent Health by 1,177.7% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 2,638 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank purchased a new position in shares of Ardent Health during the third quarter worth approximately $61,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ardent Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Ardent Health by 121.4% in the 2nd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 6,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 3,400 shares during the period. Finally, Abel Hall LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ardent Health in the 1st quarter valued at $87,000.

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.