Sun Sep 15 10:10:54 UTC 2024: ## DaVita (DVA) Sees Mixed Investor Sentiment as Hedge Funds Adjust Holdings

**Los Angeles, CA** – DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney dialysis services, saw a mixed bag of activity from institutional investors in the second quarter, with some funds reducing their stake while others increased their positions.

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC notably cut its stake in DVA by a significant 92.9%, selling off a large portion of its holdings. Conversely, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position by 58.6%, adding to its existing shares. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc., Family Firm Inc., and Versant Capital Management Inc. all purchased new stakes in DVA during the quarter. Overall, institutional investors currently own 90.12% of DVA shares.

Despite the mixed investor activity, analysts remain generally positive on DVA. TD Cowen recently raised its target price on DVA shares to $150, although maintaining a “hold” rating. Truist Financial also raised its target price to $165, while UBS Group lifted its price target to $175 and assigned a “buy” rating. However, Bank of America maintained an “underperform” rating with a $145 price target. Overall, analysts rate DVA as a “hold” with an average price target of $157.

Meanwhile, insider activity has been mixed. Kathleen Alyce Waters, an insider, sold a significant amount of shares in August, as did COO Michael David Staffieri. However, insiders own a total of 2% of the company’s stock.

DaVita reported strong second-quarter earnings, beating analyst expectations and exceeding last year’s performance. The company’s revenue grew by 6.2% year-over-year. Analysts anticipate that DaVita will post 9.99 EPS for the current year.

The stock opened at $163.56 on Friday, with a market capitalization of $13.72 billion. While the stock has seen volatility in recent months, analysts believe that its growth potential and strong earnings make it a worthwhile investment for long-term investors.

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