Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares gapped down on Friday — Ardent closed at $9.68, opened at $9.30 and last traded around $9.4050 on roughly 94,718 shares.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed (7 Buy, 5 Hold, 2 Sell) with a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $14.25, while several firms have recently cut price targets or reiterated sell calls.
• Fundamentals show a $1.37B market cap and P/E of 9.98; the company missed the latest quarter (EPS $0.32 vs. $0.35 consensus) and set FY2026 guidance of 0.900–1.270 EPS versus analysts' average forecast of 1.11.

Ardent Health, Inc. (NYSE:ARDT - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $9.68, but opened at $9.30. Ardent Health shares last traded at $9.4050, with a volume of 94,718 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Ardent Health in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Ardent Health from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 9th. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on shares of Ardent Health from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Ardent Health from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Ardent Health from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.25.

Ardent Health Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 0.57. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $9.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.85.

Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. Ardent Health had a return on equity of 14.30% and a net margin of 2.15%.Ardent Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.900-1.270 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ardent Health, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ardent Health

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ARDT. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted 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 buying an additional 2,638 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank bought a new stake in Ardent Health during the third quarter worth $61,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new position in Ardent Health in the fourth quarter worth $79,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Ardent Health in the 3rd quarter valued at $80,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Ardent Health by 121.4% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter.

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.

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