Wall Street Zen Upgrades Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) to Buy

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on ELV. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $465.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $451.00 price target on shares of Elevance Health in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Elevance Health in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Elevance Health from $393.00 to $406.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Elevance Health from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Elevance Health has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $456.48.

Elevance Health Price Performance

ELV opened at $426.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $412.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $373.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market cap of $92.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.63. Elevance Health has a 1 year low of $274.84 and a 1 year high of $450.69.

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The company reported $6.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by $2.28. Elevance Health had a net margin of 2.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. The company had revenue of $50.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.03 EPS. Elevance Health’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Elevance Health will post 29.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Elevance Health

In other Elevance Health news, EVP Ratnakar Lavu sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.00, for a total value of $572,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,533,560. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark Kaye sold 10,584 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.13, for a total value of $4,658,335.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,766,949.47. The trade was a 34.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elevance Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Elevance Health in the second quarter worth $7,344,424,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Elevance Health during the second quarter valued at $1,246,349,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Elevance Health during the second quarter valued at $688,469,000. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Elevance Health by 145.7% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,693,664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $788,570,000 after acquiring an additional 1,597,497 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in shares of Elevance Health in the second quarter valued at $591,084,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.24% of the company’s stock.

More Elevance Health News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $29.02 from $27.06, and lifted forecasts for Q1 2027 and Q1 2028 to $11.73 and $12.61, respectively. An additional analyst also raised its Q2 EPS estimate, though the report did not provide the revised figure. Q2 EPS Estimate for Elevance Health Lifted by Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Ratnakar Lavu sold 1,300 shares for $572,000, an 8.05% reduction in his holdings. He still directly owned 14,849 shares after the transaction, making the sale a limited insider-sentiment signal. SEC insider transaction filing
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate article considers what would need to be true for Elevance to be an attractive stock purchase, but the supplied article information does not state its conclusion. What Needs To Be True To Buy Elevance Health Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered estimates for Q4 2026 EPS to $2.00 from $2.43, Q3 2027 to $6.01 from $6.70, and Q3 2028 to $7.09 from $7.75. These cuts temper the positive revisions and point to a less favorable outlook for some future quarters.

Elevance Health Company Profile

Elevance Health, Inc is a U.S. health benefits and services company. Formerly known as Anthem, Inc, it adopted the Elevance Health name in 2022 while retaining the Anthem brand for many of its health plans.

The company offers medical, pharmacy, dental, vision and behavioral health coverage, including plans for individuals and employers as well as programs serving Medicare and Medicaid members. Its services also include care management, pharmacy benefit services and other health-related capabilities through its Carelon business.

Elevance Health operates primarily in the United States, with health plans serving members across multiple states and access to broader provider networks through its Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliations.