Ardent Health Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

BRENTWOOD, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ardent Health, Inc. (NYSE: ARDT) ("Ardent Health" or the "Company"), a leading provider of healthcare in growing mid-sized urban communities across the U.S., today announced results for the quarter ended September 30, 2026.

Third Quarter 2026 Operating and Financial Summary

All comparisons are versus the same prior year period. See the footnotes to the Operating Statistics table of this press release for definitions of the metrics below and a full list of key operating metrics.

Financial Performance Summary

For the third quarter of 2026:

• Total revenue grew 3.1% year-over-year to $1,625 million. The growth in total revenue consisted of a 2.9% increase in adjusted admissions.
• Net income attributable to Ardent Health was $45 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, compared to net loss attributable to Ardent Health of $23 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2025.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $138 million, which includes benefits from IMPACT program initiatives, improving volume trends, and operational execution.

Operating Performance Summary

The following table provides a summary of certain key operating metrics for the third quarter of 2026 compared to the same prior year period. See the footnotes to the Operating Statistics table of this press release for definitions of the metrics below and a more extensive list of key operating metrics.

• Adjusted admissions for the third quarter of 2026 increased 2.9% year-over-year, which is an acceleration from a 2.5% year-over-year increase in the second quarter of 2026.
• Admissions for the third quarter of 2026 increased 0.1% year-over-year, which is an improvement from a 1.0% year-over-year decline in the second quarter of 2026.
• Surgeries for the third quarter of 2026 decreased 1.9% year-over-year, which is an improvement from a 2.9% year-over-year decline in the second quarter of 2026. The decrease in total surgeries reflected declines in outpatient and inpatient surgery volume of 0.6% and 5.0%, respectively.
• Emergency room visits for the third quarter of 2026 increased 1.7% year-over-year, which is an acceleration from a 0.2% year-over-year increase in the second quarter of 2026.

Balance Sheet, Cash Flow & Liquidity Update; $25 Million Increase To Share Repurchase Program

As of September 30, 2026, the Company had total cash and cash equivalents of $766 million and total debt of $1.1 billion. The Company’s net leverage ratio was 0.8x and its lease-adjusted net leverage ratio¹ was 2.5x as of September 30, 2026. At the end of the third quarter, the Company’s available liquidity was $1 billion.

During the third quarter of 2026, net cash provided by operating activities was $122 million. Year-to-date net cash provided by operating activities was $258 million, or an increase of 5% compared to $247 million in the same prior year period.

During the third quarter of 2026, the Company repurchased 1.0 million shares of its common stock for $11 million. Ardent’s Board of Directors has authorized a $25 million increase to its share repurchase program. Inclusive of this update, the Company had approximately $48 million remaining under its repurchase authorization as of September 30, 2026.

2026 Financial Guidance

The Company is increasing its full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA financial guidance to $500 – 535 million from $485 – 535 million. The Company is maintaining its full-year 2026 revenue outlook of $6,400 – 6,700 million. All guidance is current as of the time provided and is subject to change.

The Company’s guidance is based on current plans and expectations and is subject to a number of known and unknown uncertainties and risks, including those set forth below under the heading "Forward-Looking Statements." The Company does not forecast the impact of items such as, but not limited to, losses (gains) on sales of facilities, losses on retirement of debt, legal claim costs (benefits) and impairments of long-lived assets. The Company does not believe that it can forecast these items with sufficient accuracy because of the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or amount of various items that have not yet occurred and are out of the Company’s control or cannot be reasonably predicted.

Third Quarter 2026 Results Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call to discuss its third quarter financial results on November 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A webcast of the conference call will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s corporate website at https://ir.ardenthealth.com. To listen to a live broadcast, go to the site at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time in order to register, download, and install any necessary audio software.

To participate in the live teleconference:

To listen to a replay of the teleconference, which will be available through November 19, 2026:

About Ardent Health

Ardent Health (NYSE: ARDT) is a leading provider of healthcare in growing mid-sized urban communities across the U.S. The Company delivers care through its subsidiaries, which include 30 acute care hospitals and more than 280 sites of care with over 2,000 employed and affiliated providers across six states. Anchored by a shared operating model and a commitment to investing in innovative services and technologies that improve quality, access and experience, Ardent is focused on delivering strong clinical outcomes and improving the health of the patients and communities it serves.

Supplemental Non-GAAP Financial Information

We have included certain non-GAAP financial measures in this press release, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, and Adjusted EBITDAR. We define these terms as follows:

• Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income plus (i) provision for income taxes, (ii) interest expense and (iii) depreciation and amortization expense (or EBITDA), as adjusted to deduct noncontrolling interest earnings, and excludes the effects of loss on extinguishment and modification of debt; other non-operating losses; recoveries from the cybersecurity incident in November 2023 (the "Cybersecurity Incident"), net of incremental information technology and litigation costs; certain legal matters and related costs; enterprise restructuring costs; exit and acquisition-related costs; enterprise resource planning system conversion costs; equity-based compensation expense; and loss (income) from disposed operations. Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by total revenue.
  
  Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are non-GAAP performance measures used by our management and external users of our financial statements, such as investors, analysts, lenders, rating agencies and other interested parties, to evaluate companies in our industry. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are performance measures that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP and are presented in this press release because our management considers them important analytical indicators commonly used within the healthcare industry to evaluate financial performance and allocate resources. Further, our management believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are useful financial metrics to assess our operating performance from period to period by excluding certain material non-cash items and unusual or non-recurring items that we do not expect to continue in the future and certain other adjustments we believe are not reflective of our ongoing operations and our performance.
  
  Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. While we believe these are useful supplemental performance measures for investors and other users of our financial information, you should not consider Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin in isolation or as a substitute for net income or any other items calculated in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin have inherent material limitations as performance measures, because they add back certain expenses to net income, resulting in those expenses not being taken into account in the performance measures. We have borrowed money, so interest expense is a necessary element of our costs. Because we have material capital and intangible assets, depreciation and amortization expense are necessary elements of our costs. Likewise, the payment of taxes is a necessary element of our operations. Because Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin exclude these and other items, they have material limitations as measures of our performance.

• Adjusted EBITDAR. Adjusted EBITDAR is defined as Adjusted EBITDA further adjusted to add back rent expense payable to real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), which consists of rent expense pursuant to the master lease agreement (the "Ventas Master Lease") with Ventas, Inc. ("Ventas"), lease agreements with Ventas for 18 medical office buildings and a lease arrangement with Medical Properties Trust, Inc. ("MPT") for the Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center.
  
  Adjusted EBITDAR is a commonly used non-GAAP valuation measure used by our management, research analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate and compare the enterprise value of different companies in our industry. Adjusted EBITDAR excludes: (1) certain material noncash items and unusual or non-recurring items that we do not expect to continue in the future; (2) certain other adjustments that do not impact our enterprise value; and (3) rent expense payable to REITs. We operate 30 acute care hospitals, 12 of which we lease from two REITs, Ventas and MPT, pursuant to long-term lease agreements. Additionally, we lease 18 medical office buildings from Ventas pursuant to lease agreements with initial terms of 12 years and eight options to renew for additional five-year terms. Our management views the long-term lease agreements with Ventas and MPT, as more like financing arrangements than true operating leases, with the rent payable to such REITs being similar to interest expense. As a result, our capital structure is different than many of our competitors, especially those whose real estate portfolio is predominately owned and not leased. Excluding the rent payable to such REITs allows investors to compare our enterprise value to those of other healthcare companies without regard to differences in capital structures, leasing arrangements and geographic markets, which can vary significantly among companies. Our management also uses Adjusted EBITDAR as one measure in determining the value of prospective acquisitions or divestitures. Finally, financial covenants in certain of our lease agreements, including the Ventas Master Lease, use Adjusted EBITDAR as a measure of compliance. Adjusted EBITDAR does not reflect our cash requirements for leasing commitments. As such, our presentation of Adjusted EBITDAR should not be construed as a performance or liquidity measure.
  
  Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of Adjusted EBITDAR may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. While we believe this is a useful supplemental valuation measure for investors and other users of our financial information, you should not consider Adjusted EBITDAR in isolation or as a substitute for net income or any other items calculated in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDAR has inherent material limitations as a valuation measure, because it adds back certain expenses to net income, resulting in those expenses not being taken into account in the valuation measure. The payment of rent is a necessary element of our valuation. Because Adjusted EBITDAR excludes this and other items, it has material limitations as a measure of our valuation.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in the U.S. federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements other than statements of historical facts, including, among others, statements relating to our future financial performance, our business prospects and strategy, anticipated financial position, liquidity and capital needs, the industry in which we operate and other similar matters. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "could," "would," "will," "may," "can," "continue," "potential," "should" and the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology often identify forward-looking statements. When reviewing this press release, you should keep in mind the substantive risk and uncertainties that could impact our business. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements contained in this press release or implied by past results and trends. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any period in the future. Factors, risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those contemplated include, among others: (1) general economic and business conditions, both nationally and in the regions in which we operate, including the impact of challenging macroeconomic conditions and inflationary pressures, current geopolitical instability, and impacts from the imposition of, or changes in, tariffs, as well as the potential impact on us of uncertain political, financial, credit and capital conditions; (2) possible reductions or other changes in Medicare, Medicaid and other state programs, including Medicaid supplemental payment programs, Medicaid waiver programs or state directed payments, that could have an adverse effect on our revenues and business; (3) reduction in the reimbursement rates paid by commercial payors, increased reimbursement denials or payment delays by commercial payors, our inability to retain and negotiate favorable contracts with private third party payors, or an increasing volume of uninsured or underinsured patients; (4) effects of changes in healthcare policy or legislation, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the "OBBBA") and any other reforms that have or may be undertaken by the current presidential administration, and legal and regulatory restrictions on our hospitals that have physician owners; (5) the ability to achieve operating and financial targets, develop and execute mitigation plans to offset to the extent possible impacts from the OBBBA, the expiration of temporary enhanced subsidies for individuals eligible to purchase insurance coverage through health insurance marketplaces and imposition of tariffs, attain expected levels of patient volumes and revenues, and control the costs of providing services; (6) security threats, catastrophic events and other disruptions affecting our, our service providers’ or our joint venture ("JV") partners’ information technology and related systems, which have adversely affected, and could in the future adversely affect, our relationships with patients and business partners and subject us to legal claims and liabilities, reputational harm and business disruption and adversely affect our financial condition; (7) the highly competitive nature of the healthcare industry and continued industry trends towards clinical transparency and value-based purchasing may impact our competitive position; (8) inability to recruit and retain quality physicians and increased labor costs resulting from increased competition for staffing or a continued or increased shortage of experienced nurses, as well as the loss of key personnel, including key members of our management team; (9) changes to physician utilization practices and treatment methodologies and other factors outside our control that impact demand for medical services and may reduce our revenues and ability to grow profitability; (10) continued industry trends toward value-based purchasing, third party payor consolidation and care coordination among healthcare providers; (11) inability to successfully complete acquisitions, divestitures or strategic JVs or inability to realize all of the anticipated benefits; (12) liabilities because of professional liability and other claims brought against our hospitals, physician practices, outpatient facilities or other business operations; (13) exposure to certain risks and uncertainties by the JVs through which we conduct a significant portion of our operations, including anticipated synergies of past acquisitions and the risk that transactions may not receive necessary government clearances; (14) failure to obtain drugs and medical supplies at favorable prices or sufficient volumes; (15) operational, legal and financial risks associated with outsourcing functions to third parties; (16) our facilities are heavily concentrated in Texas and Oklahoma, which makes us sensitive to regulatory, economic and competitive conditions and changes in those states; (17) negative impact of severe weather, climate change, and other factors beyond our control, which could restrict patient access to care or cause one or more facilities to close temporarily or permanently; (18) risks related to the Master Lease with Ventas ("Ventas Master Lease") and its restrictions and limitations on our business; (19) the impact of our significant indebtedness and the ability to refinance such indebtedness on acceptable terms; (20) our failure to comply with complex laws and regulations applicable to the healthcare industry or to adjust our operations in response to changing laws and regulations; (21) the impact of governmental claims or governmental investigations, payor audits and litigation brought against our hospitals, physician practices, outpatient facilities or other business operations; (22) actual or perceived failures to comply with applicable data protection, privacy and security laws, regulations, standards and other requirements; (23) the impact of a deterioration of public health conditions associated with a future pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of infectious disease; (24) inability to or delay in building, acquiring, selling, renovating or expanding our healthcare facilities; (25) failure to comply with federal and state laws relating to Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, permit, licensing and accreditation requirements; (26) the results of our efforts to use technology, including artificial intelligence ("AI") and machine learning, to drive efficiencies, better outcomes and an enhanced patient experience; (27) our status as a controlled company; (28) conflicts of interest between our controlling stockholder and other holders of our common stock; and (29) other risk factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Many of the important factors that will determine these results are beyond our ability to control or predict. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as otherwise required by law, we do not assume any obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Investor Contact:
Dave Styblo, CFA
Investor.Relations@ardenthealth.com
(615) 296-3016

Media Contact:
Rebecca Kirkham
rebecca.kirkham@ardenthealth.com
(615) 296-3000