Norges Bank Makes New Investment in DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA)

Norges Bank bought a new position in DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 48,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,297,000. Norges Bank owned 0.06% of DaVita at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in DaVita during the 4th quarter worth about $1,682,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of DaVita by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 11,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,721,000 after purchasing an additional 2,063 shares in the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund purchased a new position in DaVita during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $449,000. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its stake in DaVita by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 15,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,260,000 after buying an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its position in DaVita by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 128,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,221,000 after acquiring an additional 17,008 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.12% of the company’s stock.

DaVita Stock Performance

Shares of DaVita stock opened at $143.63 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.37, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.04. DaVita Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.64 and a 52 week high of $179.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.18. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.84.

DaVita (NYSE:DVA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.10. DaVita had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 115.48%. Sell-side analysts expect that DaVita Inc. will post 10.76 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DVA shares. StockNews.com cut DaVita from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $184.00 price target on shares of DaVita in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of DaVita from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of DaVita in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.33.

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.