DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) announced financial and operating results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2025.
Financial Highlights
Revenue (Q4 2025): $3.62 billion
Adjusted EPS: $3.40
Operating income (Q4): $561 million
Adjusted operating income: $586 million
Full Year 2025
Revenue (FY 2025): $13.643 billion
Annual adjusted operating income: ~$2.094 billion
Adjusted diluted EPS: $10.78
Free cash flow (FY 2025): $1.024 billion
Operational Highlights: Efficiency in a “New Normal”
While volume remained essentially flat, DaVita’s ability to squeeze more value from every treatment was the quarter’s hidden hero.
Revenue Per Treatment (RPT): RPT rose to $422.60, up from $410.59 in the previous quarter. This was fueled by successful contract renegotiations with private insurers and stable Medicare base rates, which were lifted to $273.82 for the 2025 cycle.
Cost Discipline: Despite labor pressures that have plagued the healthcare sector, DaVita kept a tight lid on G&A expenses, allowing adjusted operating margins to remain resilient at 15.5%, even as investments in clinical technology increased.
Global Footprint: As of year-end, DaVita served approximately 293,200 patients across 3,247 centers worldwide, with international operations in 14 countries showing steady sequential growth.
The 2026 Guidance: A “Clear Skies” Forecast
Perhaps the biggest catalyst for the stock’s rally was DaVita’s aggressive 2026 guidance. The company’s outlook suggests that management sees 2025’s “rocky road” as a thing of the past.
FY 2026 Adjusted EPS: Projected at $13.60 – $15.00 (Midpoint of $14.30), a massive 12.3% higher than the consensus analyst estimate of $12.74.
Free Cash Flow: Expected to reach between $1.0 billion and $1.25 billion, providing ample “dry powder” for continued shareholder returns.
Operating Income: Guided toward a range of $2.085 billion to $2.235 billion.
Voice from the Call: CEO Javier Rodriguez on “Innovation and Integration”
During the earnings call, CEO Javier Rodriguez struck a tone of “confident caution,” acknowledging the complexities of the current healthcare landscape while championing DaVita’s technological transformation.
“Our strong platform delivered once again in 2025… achieving our financial targets despite a challenging environment. We are no longer just a dialysis provider; we are a comprehensive kidney health company, integrating home care, transplantation support, and predictive AI to slow the progression of CKD.” — Javier Rodriguez, CEO
Key Strategic Takeaways from the Call:
GLP-1 Resiliency: Management downplayed the immediate impact of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, noting that the “funnel” for end-stage renal disease remains large and that the drugs may actually extend the lifespan of patients, leading to longer treatment durations.
Shareholder Returns: DaVita remains a buyback machine. In Q4 alone, the company repurchased 2.7 million shares at an average price of $122.78, reflecting a deep-seated belief that the stock remains undervalued relative to its cash-flow generation.
Market Reaction & Analyst Sentiment
Following the report, analysts at major firms began recalibrating their price targets, with several moving toward the $160 – $175 range. The “beat and raise” narrative effectively reset investor confidence, which had been shaken following a disappointing Q3.
With a forward P/E ratio currently sitting at a modest 9.6x, DaVita is increasingly being viewed as a “value play with growth teeth” in a volatile 2026 market.
The Bottom Line
DaVita is successfully pivoting from a volume-growth story to a margin-optimization powerhouse. By increasing the revenue generated per patient while aggressively shrinking its share count, the company has created a high-visibility path to double-digit earnings growth through 2026.