Should You Buy DaVita Inc (DVA) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Hold
Latest Price
107.240
1 Day change
1.28%
52 Week Range
179.600
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
Not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor who wants to deploy capital immediately. The trend is still bearish (SMA200 > SMA20 > SMA5) and fundamentals recently weakened (Q3 2025 profit/margins down), while hedge funds have been heavy sellers. There is upside to analyst price targets, but near-term catalyst risk is concentrated into the Feb 2 earnings event, making the current setup less attractive to buy today.
Technical Analysis
Price is sitting near the pivot (~105.84) with nearby support at ~102.24 (then ~100.02) and resistance at ~109.44 (then ~111.67). Trend structure remains bearish with SMA200 > SMA20 > SMA5, suggesting the broader downtrend is intact. Momentum is trying to stabilize: MACD histogram is positive and expanding (0.159), indicating improving short-term momentum, but RSI(6) at ~40 is still weak/neutral and does not confirm a strong reversal. Overall: early stabilization, but not yet a confirmed uptrend; downside risk remains if 102 breaks.
Options Data
Bearish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Options positioning is mixed: open interest put/call at 1.37 suggests more outstanding put hedges (cautious/bearish positioning), while today’s volume put/call at 0.02 indicates the day’s flow was overwhelmingly calls (tactical bullishness). Implied vol (30d) ~36.6 vs historical ~28.8 and elevated volume vs 30-day average imply the market is pricing meaningful near-term uncertainty, consistent with an approaching earnings catalyst.
Technical Summary
Sell
6
Buy
5
Positive Catalysts
sit well above the current ~105.9, implying perceived upside if execution improves; business is non-discretionary kidney care with solid cash-flow characteristics (per analyst commentary).
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Recent operating performance pressure: Q3 2025 net income, EPS, and gross margin declined YoY; volume/admissions trends are described as mixed/tepid by analysts, and improving volumes remain critical; hedge funds are net sellers (selling amount reported up sharply last quarter); technical trend remains bearish (moving-average stack).
Financial Performance
Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue grew to ~$3.42B (+4.8% YoY), but profitability weakened: net income fell to ~$150.3M (-30.0% YoY), EPS fell to $2.04 (-18.4% YoY), and gross margin declined to ~26.61 (-6.07% YoY). Growth is present at the top line, but earnings and margins are trending down, which reduces confidence in a long-term buy made today at this price without clearer improvement.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent Wall Street activity is consistently cautious (Hold/Equal Weight). Truist (2026-01-05) raised PT to $140 (Hold) citing solid cash flow but needing better volume trends; TD Cowen (2025-11-03) cut PT to $133 (Hold) after a 3Q EBIT miss and tepid volume outlook; Barclays (2025-10-30) cut PT to $143 (Equal Weight) after a headline miss but reiterated guidance. Pros: defensive demand, cash flow, notable upside to PTs. Cons: volume uncertainty, recent earnings/margin compression, and recent quarter execution noise.
Wall Street analysts forecast DVA stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DVA is 136.5 USD with a low forecast of 130 USD and a high forecast of 143 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
4 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast DVA stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DVA is 136.5 USD with a low forecast of 130 USD and a high forecast of 143 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
0 Buy
3 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 105.880
Low
130
Averages
136.5
High
143
Current: 105.880
Low
130
Averages
136.5
High
143
Truist
David MacDonald
Hold
maintain
$128 -> $140
AI Analysis
2026-01-05
Reason
Truist
David MacDonald
Price Target
$128 -> $140
AI Analysis
2026-01-05
maintain
Hold
Reason
Truist analyst David MacDonald raised the firm's price target on DaVita to $140 from $128 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares. Despite the non-discretionary nature of the service and solid cash flow, improving volume trends remain critical amid a mixed environment marked by sluggish admissions, mortality, and missed treatments, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
TD Cowen
Gary Taylor
Hold
downgrade
$154 -> $133
2025-11-03
Reason
TD Cowen
Gary Taylor
Price Target
$154 -> $133
2025-11-03
downgrade
Hold
Reason
TD Cowen analyst Gary Taylor lowered the firm's price target on DaVita to $133 from $154 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares. The firm noted they missed 3Q25 EBIT by -10%, but they attribute a portion to Street mis-modeling while the recent pullback has Dthe shares shares looking more appealing, but a continued tepid volume outlook offsets upside.
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