Short Interest in Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) Decreases By 20.7%

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 18,414,142 shares, a decline of 20.7% from the January 29th total of 23,228,810 shares. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,571,050 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 4,571,050 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.0 days. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on ELAN. Zacks Research lowered Elanco Animal Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Elanco Animal Health from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Elanco Animal Health from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Elanco Animal Health in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Elanco Animal Health presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Elanco Animal Health

In other Elanco Animal Health news, CFO Robert M. Vanhimbergen bought 6,950 shares of Elanco Animal Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $21.64 per share, for a total transaction of $150,398.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 124,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,688,402.12. This trade represents a 5.93% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey N. Simmons bought 22,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $21.75 per share, with a total value of $478,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 167,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,632,250. This represents a 15.17% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders acquired 43,450 shares of company stock worth $937,883. Company insiders own 0.89% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 133.7% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Elanco Animal Health by 2,563.5% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,333 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Elanco Animal Health by 136.7% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in Elanco Animal Health by 50.7% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Elanco Animal Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.48% of the company’s stock.

Elanco Animal Health Trading Up 0.6%

ELAN stock opened at $26.35 on Monday. Elanco Animal Health has a one year low of $8.02 and a one year high of $27.72. The stock has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -54.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $24.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. Elanco Animal Health had a negative net margin of 4.92% and a positive return on equity of 7.16%. Elanco Animal Health’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. Elanco Animal Health has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.330-0.36 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.060 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Elanco Animal Health will post 0.91 EPS for the current year.

About Elanco Animal Health

Elanco Animal Health Inc is a global leader in animal health dedicated to improving food and companion animal well-being. The company develops, manufactures and markets a range of products, including parasiticides, vaccines, antibiotics and feed additives designed to prevent and treat disease in livestock and pets. Elanco’s portfolio spans both food-producing animals—such as cattle, swine, poultry and aquaculture—and companion animals, with offerings that support parasite control, pain management and infectious disease prevention.

Originally founded as the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Company in the mid-20th century, Elanco was spun off into an independent publicly traded company in 2018.