Elevance Health Q3 EPS Forecast Lowered by Zacks Research

Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) – Analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Elevance Health in a research note issued on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $5.41 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $5.68. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Elevance Health’s current full-year earnings is $33.96 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Elevance Health’s Q4 2026 earnings at $3.43 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $6.01 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $33.47 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Elevance Health from $297.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $332.00 price objective on shares of Elevance Health in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $431.00 to $409.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Elevance Health in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $394.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Elevance Health presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.55.

Elevance Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ELV opened at $330.07 on Wednesday. Elevance Health has a 12-month low of $273.71 and a 12-month high of $458.75. The company has a market cap of $72.85 billion, a PE ratio of 13.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $351.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $331.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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

Elevance Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $6.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Elevance Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. Elevance Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elevance Health

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Elevance Health in the fourth quarter worth approximately $326,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in Elevance Health by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 505,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $177,217,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Elevance Health by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,022,000 after buying an additional 4,155 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Elevance Health by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 92,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,293,000 after buying an additional 27,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its position in shares of Elevance Health by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 3,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,234,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.24% of the company’s stock.

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.