Ardent Health, Inc.

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934

Check the appropriate box:

Ardent Health, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

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340 SEVEN SPRINGS WAY, SUITE 100

BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE 37027

April 8, 2026

To Our Stockholders:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Ardent Health, Inc.,

to be held solely by remote communication via live webcast on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (Central Time) by

visitingwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ARDT2026. The matters to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting are more

fully described in the accompanying Proxy Statement and related materials.

In accordance with rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we are mailing to many of our stockholders a

Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials instead of a paper copy of the Proxy Statement and our 2025 Annual

Report to Stockholders. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions on how stockholders can

access our proxy materials over the internet as well as how stockholders can receive a paper copy of our proxy materials,

including the Proxy Statement, the 2025 Annual Report to Stockholders and a form of proxy card.

It is important that your shares be represented at the Annual Meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual

Meeting, please vote by proxy as soon as possible by following the instructions located in the Notice of Internet Availability

of Proxy Materials or in the Proxy Statement. Prior to the Annual Meeting, you will be able to vote atwww.proxyvote.com.

If you attend the Annual Meeting, you may withdraw your proxy and vote your shares personally.

We look forward to your attendance at the Annual Meeting.

Sincerely,

Mark Sotir

Chairman of the Board

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.

WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, AFTER REVIEWING THE PROXY MATERIALS, PLEASE

VOTE BY PHONE OR ONLINE FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS SET FORTH IN THE FOLLOWING PROXY MATERIALS OR, IF

YOU REQUESTED A PRINTED COPY, PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THE PROXY CARD.

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340 SEVEN SPRINGS WAY, SUITE 100

BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE 37027

Notice of Annual Meeting of StockholdersTo Be Held May 20, 2026

To Our Stockholders:

The 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") of Ardent Health, Inc. will be held solely by remote

communication via live webcast on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (Central Time). You will be able to attend the

Annual Meeting by visitingwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ARDT2026 and entering the 16-digit control number

included in our Notice of Internet Availability of the proxy materials, on your proxy card or in the instructions that

accompanied your proxy materials. Prior to the Annual Meeting, you will be able to vote atwww.proxyvote.com.

The Annual Meeting is being convened for the following purposes:

(1)To elect 11 nominees as directors;

(2)To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers;

(3)To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal

year ending December 31, 2026; and

(4)To transact any other business that properly comes before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or

postponements thereof.

The matters to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting are more fully described in the Proxy Statement and related materials.

Please read the materials carefully.

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 26, 2026 as the record date for determining stockholders

entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

Dated: April 8, 2026 By order of the Board of Directors,

Mark Sotir

Chairman of the Board

IMPORTANT

WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, AFTER REVIEWING THE PROXY MATERIALS, PLEASE

VOTE BY PHONE OR ONLINE FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS SET FORTH IN THE FOLLOWING PROXY MATERIALS OR, IF

YOU REQUESTED A PRINTED COPY, PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THE PROXY CARD.

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Table of Contents

NOTE TO READERS

Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this Proxy Statement to "Ardent," "the Company," "we," "us" or

"our" mean Ardent Health, Inc. and its affiliates. Ardent Health, Inc. is a holding company that has affiliates that operate

acute care hospitals and other healthcare facilities and employ physicians. The term "affiliates" includes direct and indirect

subsidiaries of Ardent and partnerships and joint ventures in which such subsidiaries are equity owners.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Proxy Statement contains certain "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, 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. 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, including the risk factors and

other cautionary statements discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. The

forward-looking statements pertain only to the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update

them to reflect new information or events unless required by law. Stockholders are advised not to place undue reliance on

these statements and to consult any additional disclosures we may provide through our other filings with the SEC, such as

Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.