Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) Trading 9% Higher - Here's Why

Key Points

• Ardent Health shares jumped 9% on Friday, reaching as high as $11.35, despite trading volume running far below normal.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: while several firms kept Buy/Outperform ratings, others trimmed targets or downgraded the stock. MarketBeat says the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $14.04.
• The company recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $0.28 EPS on revenue of $1.60 billion, and it has also seen insider and institutional buying in recent months.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Ardent Health Stock Performance

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

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

Insider Activity at Ardent Health

In related news, CFO Alfred Lumsdaine acquired 10,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 329,183 shares in the company, valued at $2,900,102.23. This represents a 3.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its holdings in Ardent Health by 212.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 327,242 shares of the company's stock worth $3,220,000 after acquiring an additional 222,447 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Ardent Health by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 361,038 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,090,000 after purchasing an additional 37,627 shares during the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new stake in shares of Ardent Health in the 1st quarter valued at $148,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Ardent Health by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 29,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Ardent Health by 159.9% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 121,374 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,000 after purchasing an additional 74,675 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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