Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

ELV has been the subject of several other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $332.00 target price on shares of Elevance Health in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Elevance Health in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Elevance Health from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Truist Financial set a $400.00 price target on shares of Elevance Health in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Elevance Health from $359.00 to $352.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.90.

Elevance Health Stock Down 0.4%

ELV opened at $345.62 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $351.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $328.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.76, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.51. Elevance Health has a fifty-two week low of $273.71 and a fifty-two week high of $458.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. Elevance Health had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 15.59%. The business had revenue of $49.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Elevance Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 25.500- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Elevance Health will post 33.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Elevance Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.72 dividend. This represents a $6.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This is an increase from Elevance Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. Elevance Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.23%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elevance Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Elevance Health by 5.2% in the second quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Elevance Health by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 40,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,562,000 after purchasing an additional 2,154 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Elevance Health during the 2nd quarter worth $418,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Elevance Health by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 1,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in Elevance Health by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 124,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,282,000 after buying an additional 1,299 shares during the period. 89.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Elevance Health

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat consensus (EPS beat and strong profit print), which sparked an earlier rally and helped lift investor sentiment. Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) Stock Price Up 6.3% on Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners nudged its price target up to $357 and maintained a “market perform” rating, a modest vote of confidence that signals upside potential from current levels. Leerink Partners adjusts price target on Elevance Health to $357
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus broker sentiment remains constructive (average “Moderate Buy”), which provides some support for the shares as analysts digest results and guidance. Elevance Health, Inc. Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Company Q4 call and published highlights provide detail on membership shifts, margin dynamics and the drivers behind the quarter — useful for longer-term modeling but not a clear immediate catalyst. ELV Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Management forecast for 2026 profit came in below some Street estimates and flagged an anticipated revenue decline, which is the principal near-term headwind pressuring the stock. Elevance forecasts 2026 profit below estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentary highlighted margin pressures and membership shifts shaping a weaker 2026 outlook — narratives that have driven selloffs despite the quarterly beat. ELV Q4 Deep Dive: Margin Pressures and Membership Shifts
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory context: a CMS proposal for only a modest Medicare Advantage rate increase added to near-term investor concern, contributing to a large negative move earlier in the week. Health Insurance Stock Could Rebound Off Historically Bullish Signal
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage pieces framed the results as “in line” but stressed the deteriorating outlook and ongoing industry headwinds, which has kept selling pressure on the shares after the initial post-earnings bounce. Elevance reports Q4 in line with expectations but stock drops

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.