Zacks Research Forecasts Weaker Earnings for Elevance Health

Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2026 earnings per share estimates for Elevance Health in a research report issued on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.95 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $3.43. The consensus estimate for Elevance Health’s current full-year earnings is $26.79 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Elevance Health’s Q3 2027 earnings at $6.81 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $11.08 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $31.77 EPS.

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $12.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.74 by $1.84. The business had revenue of $49.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.21 billion. Elevance Health had a net margin of 2.62% and a return on equity of 15.58%. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $11.97 earnings per share. Elevance Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.850- EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Elevance Health from $350.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup raised Elevance Health to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Elevance Health from $332.00 to $363.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays lifted their price target on Elevance Health from $393.00 to $408.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Elevance Health from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $384.58.

Elevance Health Stock Down 0.5%

Elevance Health stock opened at $372.94 on Friday. Elevance Health has a 52 week low of $273.71 and a 52 week high of $424.24. The stock has a market cap of $80.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $312.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $332.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elevance Health

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Elevance Health by 331.6% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Elevance Health by 66.7% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC lifted its stake in Elevance Health by 110.0% during the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 84 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Elevance Health in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Elevance Health in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 89.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Elevance Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.72 per share. This represents a $6.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Elevance Health’s dividend payout ratio is 29.26%.

Key Headlines Impacting Elevance Health

Here are the key news stories impacting Elevance Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised FY2026 EPS to $26.79 (from $25.53) and nudged FY2027 slightly higher to $28.51 (from $28.40), signaling improved medium?term earnings expectations. This supports a higher earnings base for valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks materially raised Q3 2027 EPS to $6.81 (from $6.01), a meaningful bump for that quarter which may offset some near-term weakness in other periods.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also slightly raised Q2 2027 to $7.23 (from $7.20), a marginal upward revision.
• Neutral Sentiment: Yahoo Finance ran two pieces on ELV valuation and whether investors should reassess the name after its recent price surge; these are analysis/opinion pieces rather than fresh fundamental data and help frame investor sentiment. A Look At Elevance Health (ELV) Valuation After Q1 Beat And Raised EPS Guidance Is It Time To Reassess Elevance Health (ELV) After Its Recent Price Surge?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut Q1 2028 EPS to $11.08 from $12.00, a notable downgrade for that quarter that could pressure near?term expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 2026 was reduced to $2.95 from $3.43 and FY2028 was lowered to $31.77 from $33.47 — across?the?board trims in late?stage estimates that suggest Zacks sees some weakening in longer?range momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple nearer?term 2026/2027 quarter estimates were trimmed (Q2 2026 to $6.15 from $6.30; Q3 2026 to $5.10 from $5.41; Q1 2027 to $10.05 from $10.45; Q4 2027 to $4.42 from $4.75), indicating Zacks lowered expectations for several upcoming quarters.

Elevance Health Company Profile

Elevance Health, Inc (NYSE: ELV) is a large U.S.-based health benefits company that provides a broad range of health insurance products and related services. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the company rebranded from Anthem, Inc to Elevance Health in 2022 while continuing to operate consumer-facing health plans under established state and national brands. Gail Boudreaux serves as chief executive officer and president, leading the company’s strategic focus on integrated health care and benefit delivery.

Elevance’s core activities include offering medical and specialty health plans for individuals, employers and government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid managed-care products.