Ardent Health Inc. Common Stock (ARDT)
StalwartFairStock Score: 49/100 — MIXED
Key Financials
| Current Price | $10.1 |
| Market Cap | $1.4B |
| P/E Ratio | 10.63 |
| ROE | 13.94% |
| Dividend Yield | —% |
| Sector | Healthcare |
Strengths
- Generates $156 million in annual free cash flow (11.0% yield on market cap)
- Strong Piotroski F-Score of 7/9 indicating robust financial health across profitability, leverage, and efficiency metrics
- Solid return on equity of 14.3% above cost of capital
- Established organization with 19,500 employees providing operational scale
Concerns
- Revenue declining at 0.1% year-over-year signals potential demand weakness or market share loss
- Altman Z-Score of 1.0 places it in the financial distress zone—elevated bankruptcy risk
AI Analysis
Ardent Health Inc. Common Stock is a micro-cap healthcare company valued at $1.4 billion. The business generates $6.3 billion in annual revenue with a 0.7% net margin and $156 million in free cash flow. From a quality standpoint, Ardent shows solid Piotroski F-Score of 7/9 and distressed Altman Z-Score of 1.0 warrants caution. On valuation, the stock is attractively valued at 10.1x earnings, with a modest 29% margin of safety vs Graham Number. Growth dynamics show revenue growing at -0.1% and profit growth of -60.6%. Our composite FairStock Score of 49/100 reflects mixed fundamentals overall. Investors should weigh the business quality against the current price and their own margin of safety requirements.
Bull Case
The market underappreciates Ardent's consistent 14% ROE at just 10x earnings—a re-rating toward sector peers could unlock 30-50% upside. With $156 million in annual free cash flow (11.0% yield), management has ample capital for buybacks, dividends, or accretive acquisitions.
Bear Case
Macro headwinds or sector-specific disruption could pressure margins, particularly if competitive intensity increases in the healthcare space. Regulatory changes, input cost inflation, or demand normalization represent underappreciated risks that could materially impact forward estimates.
Data from SEC filings. AI analysis is for educational purposes only — not investment advice. Scoring methodology · Disclaimer