Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $7.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.21 by $1.24, Briefing.com reports. Elevance Health had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 14.64%. The business had revenue of $49.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.84 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Elevance Health’s conference call:

• Elevance Health reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $7.45, ahead of expectations, and raised full-year 2026 guidance to at least $27. Management also reiterated confidence in returning to at least 12% adjusted EPS growth in 2027 off the 2026 baseline.
• Medicaid remains the weakest area, with full-year operating margin guidance held at approximately -1.75%. The company said elevated utilization is persisting in behavioral health, specialty pharmacy, outpatient surgery, and ER use, though it expects the second half to improve modestly.
• Medicare Advantage outperformed in the quarter, helped by portfolio repositioning, better claims experience, and care management actions. Management said the business is on track for an operating margin of at least 2% in 2026.
• The company is making targeted one-time investments in 2H 2026 using a net below-the-line benefit, aimed at medical cost management, member engagement, provider connectivity, and Carelon capabilities. Management stressed these costs are non-recurring and should not repeat in 2027.
• Carelon and commercial performance are progressing as planned, with Carelon’s value-based and behavioral health offerings contributing more meaningfully over time and commercial demand remaining strong. Elevance also said its ACA business is tracking to plan and expects to end 2026 with at least 1 million ACA members.

Elevance Health Price Performance

Shares of Elevance Health stock opened at $372.20 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $399.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $355.22. Elevance Health has a twelve month low of $273.71 and a twelve month high of $436.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.67.

Elevance Health Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ELV. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Elevance Health from $352.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Elevance Health from $492.00 to $473.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Elevance Health from $399.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $364.00 target price on shares of Elevance Health in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $439.43.

Key Headlines Impacting Elevance Health

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

• Positive Sentiment: Elevance Health beat Q2 estimates with EPS of $7.45 and revenue of $49.83 billion, then raised its full-year 2026 outlook, signaling better-than-expected operating performance and improving cost control.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment turned more constructive after earnings, with Guggenheim raising its price target to $455 and TD Cowen keeping a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that the post-earnings pullback may be overdone. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays trimmed its price target to $457 from $480 but maintained an Overweight rating, suggesting expectations remain positive despite a slightly less aggressive valuation view.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.72 per share, which supports the income profile of the stock but is unlikely to be the main driver of near-term price action.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted margin pressure and lower membership in certain Medicaid markets, indicating that cost and enrollment trends still deserve investor attention.

Insider Activity at Elevance Health

In other news, Director Robert L. Dixon, Jr. sold 151 shares of Elevance Health stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $401.77, for a total value of $60,667.27. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,312,599.18. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ELV. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Elevance Health by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 163,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,666,000 after purchasing an additional 11,745 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co boosted its position in shares of Elevance Health by 41.5% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 1,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $630,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its position in shares of Elevance Health by 6.9% in the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 65,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,650,000 after buying an additional 4,272 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Elevance Health by 5.0% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 42,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,478,000 after buying an additional 2,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Elevance Health by 111.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 43,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,080,000 after buying an additional 23,180 shares during the period. 89.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.