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DaVita HealthCare (DVA) Ascends But Remains Behind Market: Some Facts to Note

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In the latest trading session, DaVita HealthCare (DVA - Free Report) closed at $162.36, marking a +0.22% move from the previous day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 1.83%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 1.65%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 2.45%.

Shares of the kidney dialysis provider witnessed a gain of 9.78% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Medical sector with its loss of 3.48% and the S&P 500's loss of 3.31%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of DaVita HealthCare in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.21, up 18.18% from the prior-year quarter. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $3.25 billion, indicating a 3.47% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for DaVita HealthCare. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. As of now, DaVita HealthCare holds a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

From a valuation perspective, DaVita HealthCare is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 14.41. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 21.37, which means DaVita HealthCare is trading at a discount to the group.

Meanwhile, DVA's PEG ratio is currently 0.79. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.88.

The Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 156, finds itself in the bottom 38% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


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