DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) is included among the 10 Best Value Stocks to Buy in 2026 According to Warren Buffett.
On May 6, Deutsche Bank upgraded DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) from Hold to Buy and raised its price target to $220 from $126.The upgrade followed the company’s first-quarter revenue per treatment of $417.59, which came in $8.30 above Wall Street estimates and reflected 4.4% year-over-year growth. Deutsche Bank said that of the $17.45 increase in revenue per treatment, around two-thirds came from core growth, while $6 was linked to favorable prior period development. The firm is using $411.59 as the baseline for projecting revenue per treatment growth in 2026. The firm also noted that the first quarter is usually the weakest period for revenue per treatment.
Sequential growth typically builds through the fourth quarter as deductible burn-through increases. Deutsche Bank expects that trend to continue through 2026 and into 2027. At the same time, the firm identified potential pressure from health insurance exchanges as one of the biggest risks tied to the upgrade, though it noted that DaVita has not experienced those effects so far.
During DaVita’s Q1 2026 earnings call, CFO and Treasurer Joel Ackerman said first-quarter adjusted operating income totaled $482 million. He also stated that adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations came in at $2.87. Ackerman added that free cash flow for the quarter reached $140 million.
CEO and Executive Director Rodriguez said the company was raising and narrowing its adjusted operating income guidance to a range of $2.15 billion to $2.25 billion. Rodriguez also noted that DaVita increased its adjusted EPS outlook to between $14.10 and $15.20 per share. According to Rodriguez, the higher guidance was mainly supported by a stronger volume forecast for the year and lower patient care costs.
DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) is a healthcare provider focused on improving care delivery and quality of life for patients globally. The company provides kidney care services across the United States.
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