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

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

ELV has been the subject of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $332.00 price target on shares of Elevance Health in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Elevance Health from $424.00 to $391.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research set a $425.00 price objective on Elevance Health and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Elevance Health in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $343.00 target price on the stock. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $398.16.

Elevance Health Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ELV opened at $345.62 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $351.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $329.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.51. Elevance Health has a 12-month low of $273.71 and a 12-month high of $458.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The company reported $3.33 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $49.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Elevance Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 25.500- EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Elevance Health will post 33.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elevance Health

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ELV. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Elevance Health during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,148,379,000. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Elevance Health by 24.7% in the second quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 5,825,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,265,773,000 after buying an additional 1,152,440 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Elevance Health by 24.5% during the third quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 4,576,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,478,857,000 after acquiring an additional 901,626 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Elevance Health by 25.0% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 3,998,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,292,029,000 after acquiring an additional 798,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Elevance Health during the second quarter worth $293,141,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.24% of the company’s stock.

Elevance Health News Roundup

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.