DaVita (NYSE:DVA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume on Strong Earnings

Shares of DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) saw strong trading volume on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. 827,797 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 1% from the previous session’s volume of 816,789 shares.The stock last traded at $133.87 and had previously closed at $142.24.

The company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.43. DaVita had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 64.42%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DVA has been the topic of several recent research reports. TheStreet raised shares of DaVita from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of DaVita from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of DaVita from $113.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays began coverage on DaVita in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on DaVita from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, DaVita currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.50.

Insider Transactions at DaVita

In related news, insider James O. Hearty sold 26,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.64, for a total value of $3,130,260.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,264 shares in the company, valued at $2,424,384.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other DaVita news, insider James O. Hearty sold 26,164 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.64, for a total transaction of $3,130,260.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 20,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,424,384.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael David Staffieri sold 29,488 shares of DaVita stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.81, for a total transaction of $3,532,957.28. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 37,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,515,279.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 134,540 shares of company stock worth $16,551,071 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DVA. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of DaVita in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new position in DaVita in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in DaVita during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of DaVita during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of DaVita by 242.3% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. 90.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

DaVita Stock Down 5.5 %

The stock has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.17, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $133.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.17.

About DaVita

DaVita Inc provides kidney dialysis services for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure in the United States. The company operates kidney dialysis centers and provides related lab services in outpatient dialysis centers. It also offers outpatient, hospital inpatient, and home-based hemodialysis services; operates clinical laboratories that provide routine laboratory tests for dialysis and other physician-prescribed laboratory tests for ESRD patients; and management and administrative services to outpatient dialysis centers.