Zacks Research Predicts Weaker Earnings for Elevance Health

Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Elevance Health in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, December 18th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now expects that the company will post earnings of $10.76 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $10.87. The consensus estimate for Elevance Health's current full-year earnings is $32.96 per share.

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The company reported $8.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.66 by ($1.29). The business had revenue of $44.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.47 billion. Elevance Health had a return on equity of 19.56% and a net margin of 3.68%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.99 earnings per share.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ELV. Argus cut Elevance Health from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Raymond James set a $485.00 target price on Elevance Health in a report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $622.00 to $501.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $520.00 price objective (down from $620.00) on shares of Elevance Health in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Elevance Health from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $539.20.

Elevance Health Stock Performance

Shares of ELV traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $365.96. 3,438,138 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,252,031. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $409.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $489.05. Elevance Health has a 12-month low of $362.21 and a 12-month high of $567.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elevance Health

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Elevance Health by 4.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,649 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,777,000 after acquiring an additional 11,646 shares in the last quarter. Brass Tax Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Elevance Health by 44.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brass Tax Wealth Management Inc. now owns 640 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Elevance Health by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 2,316 shares of the company's stock worth $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Elevance Health during the third quarter worth $10,883,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Elevance Health by 16.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,212,839 shares of the company's stock valued at $617,359,000 after buying an additional 168,220 shares during the last quarter. 89.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Charles Morgan Kendrick, Jr. sold 7,417 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $432.14, for a total transaction of $3,205,182.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,423 shares in the company, valued at $3,639,915.22. This represents a 46.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Elevance Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Elevance Health's payout ratio is 23.77%.

Elevance Health Company Profile

Elevance Health, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health benefits company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Health Benefits, CarelonRx, Carelon Services, and Corporate & Other. It offers a variety of health plans and services to program members; health products; an array of fee-based administrative managed care services; and specialty and other insurance products and services, such as stop loss, dental, vision, life, disability, and supplemental health insurance benefits.