Traders Purchase High Volume of DaVita Call Options (NYSE:DVA)

DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 7,525 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 577% compared to the average volume of 1,111 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on DVA shares. Zacks Research upgraded DaVita from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of DaVita in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on DaVita from $158.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of DaVita from $144.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of DaVita from $190.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, DaVita presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $199.17.

DaVita Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of DaVita stock traded up $6.66 during trading on Thursday, reaching $234.69. 235,915 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 966,028. The firm has a market cap of $15.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.88. DaVita has a 1 year low of $101.00 and a 1 year high of $236.51. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $193.09 and its 200 day moving average is $154.96.

DaVita (NYSE:DVA) last announced its quarterly 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. DaVita had a negative return on equity of 270.37% and a net margin of 5.65%.The company had revenue of $3.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. DaVita’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. DaVita has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.100-15.200 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that DaVita will post 15.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Kathleen Alyce Waters sold 15,405 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.40, for a total transaction of $3,210,402.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 109,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,756,029.60. This trade represents a 12.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Joel Ackerman sold 51,471 shares of DaVita stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.10, for a total transaction of $9,887,579.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 132,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,440,571.40. The trade was a 27.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On DaVita

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lifted its stake in DaVita by 0.8% in the first quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 6,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,048,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Gen Wealth Partners Inc raised its holdings in DaVita by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 880 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of DaVita by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 511 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of DaVita by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of DaVita by 128.0% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.12% of the company’s stock.

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.