Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on DaVita (NYSE:DVA)

DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 7,996 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 504% compared to the typical volume of 1,324 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on DVA shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of DaVita in a report on Monday, June 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of DaVita from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of DaVita from $158.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of DaVita from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of DaVita from $144.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, DaVita has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $199.17.

DaVita Stock Up 1.6%

DVA stock traded up $3.45 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $212.43. The company had a trading volume of 182,898 shares, compared to its average volume of 969,507. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.91. DaVita has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $212.91. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.52.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at DaVita

In other news, CFO Joel Ackerman sold 51,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.10, for a total transaction of $9,887,579.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 132,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,440,571.40. This trade represents a 27.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On DaVita

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in DaVita by 128.0% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of DaVita by 147.3% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of DaVita during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of DaVita during the second quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of DaVita during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 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.