← Markets

Elevance Health Inc.

ELV · NYSE

Market closed$373.11$0.260000 (+0.07%)After hours $374.09 · +0.26%

Key statistics

Previous close$372.85
Open$374.29
Day high$377.76
Day low$365.38
52-week high$436.24
52-week low$273.71
Market cap80.92B
Volume1.92M
Average volume1.80M
P/E ratio12.70
Forward P/E12.85
EPS29.39
Dividend yield+1.84%

Market context

Why it moved

ELV edged slightly higher as strong insider buying by the CEO and a director — signaling confidence in the company's value — helped stabilize the stock following last week's sharp decline, even as margin pressures in its Medicaid segment and Elevance Health's better-than-expected Q2 earnings and raised full-year guidance provided a fundamental backstop.

FacebookMarketbeatSimplywallFacebookInstagram

What is happening

Recent company-specific developments and publisher coverage.

July 18, 2026Elevance Health closed essentially flat as the stock continued to stabilize following its sharp post-earnings selloff earlier in the week, when shares plunged roughly 9% after Q2 results revealed significant margin compression despite beating estimates. While adjusted EPS of $7.45 topped the $6.21 consensus and the company raised full-year guidance to at least $27.00, investors fixated on the Health Benefits segment operating margin collapsing to 2.1% from 3.8% a year ago. A notable signal of insider confidence emerged Thursday as CEO Gail Boudreaux purchased 2,725 shares for approximately $1 million near $369. Meanwhile, UnitedHealth Group's stronger-than-expected Q2 results and aggressive guidance hike provided some sector relief, with analysts at Guggenheim, Bernstein, Truist, and Leerink all adjusting price targets on Elevance post-earnings amid mixed but broadly constructive analyst sentiment.

0.0697

July 17, 2026Elevance Health fell sharply on Wednesday after investors focused on deteriorating margins rather than a headline Q2 earnings beat — but shares partially recovered Thursday following a strong UnitedHealth earnings report that lifted the managed-care sector. Elevance's core Health Benefits segment margin collapsed to 2.1% from 3.8% a year ago, and the adjusted EPS beat was aided by a roughly $0.80 below-the-line benefit, raising durability concerns. Analysts broadly trimmed price targets post-earnings while maintaining buy-equivalent ratings, with a mean target near $445, and UnitedHealth's dramatically improved medical cost ratio of 86.7% offered some sector reassurance even as Elevance trades well off its prior close.

-4.4783

July 16, 2026Elevance Health tumbled sharply despite posting a significant Q2 earnings beat, as investors focused on deteriorating profit margins and a modest guidance raise that fell short of expectations. Adjusted EPS of $7.45 crushed the $6.21 consensus, and revenue of $49.8B topped estimates, but operating margin compressed to 3.5% from 4.9% a year ago, the Health Benefits segment margin fell to 2.1% from 3.8%, and the benefit expense ratio rose 80 bps to 89.7% — reflecting elevated medical costs in government plans. Full-year adjusted EPS guidance was raised only slightly to at least $27.00, barely above the $26.91 consensus, disappointing investors hoping for a more meaningful lift. Membership also declined 469,000 sequentially to 44.9 million, and Elevance signaled it is actively retreating from underperforming Medicaid markets, including exiting D.C. Medicaid. TD Cowen maintained its Buy rating with a $465 target, and Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $450, but the incremental guidance hike and margin headwinds in government businesses drove heavy selling, with volume more than double the daily average.

-8.5428

July 15, 2026Elevance Health closed modestly higher ahead of its highly anticipated Q2 2026 earnings report due Wednesday morning, with shares gaining further in after-hours trading (+1.43%) as analysts lined up bullish price target upgrades — TD Cowen raised its target to $465, Wells Fargo lifted it to $492, and Truist bumped to $475, all maintaining Buy/Overweight ratings. The pre-earnings optimism reflects improving sentiment around managed care margins, though questions remain about Health Benefits segment weakness and Medicare Advantage headwinds; HCA's same-day profit warning over ACA coverage losses and rising uninsured patients added broader sector caution.

0.381

July 14, 2026Elevance Health shares rose ahead of its Q2 2026 earnings report scheduled for July 15, buoyed by a wave of bullish analyst actions: Wells Fargo raised its price target dramatically from $391 to $492 (maintaining Overweight) and Mizuho nudged its target to $470 from $465 (maintaining Outperform), signaling confidence in the insurer's margin story. The moves lifted ELV close to its 52-week high, outperforming the broader healthcare sector as investors positioned for the earnings print amid ongoing regulatory scrutiny of Medicare Advantage and wider insurer rebound momentum.

2.1479

July 11, 2026Elevance Health closed modestly lower as investors position ahead of its Q2 2026 earnings report due July 15, with analysts estimating EPS of $6.21 on $48.82B in revenue — a year-over-year decline. Sentiment in the managed care space remains cautiously constructive: RBC Capital raised its price target to $439 while maintaining Sector Perform, and Jim Cramer highlighted health insurance as a standout sector. The broader narrative centers on Elevance's margin recovery trajectory following a strong Q1 beat, a late-June oncology diagnostics deal with CNSide, and looming Medicaid headwinds from the One Big Beautiful Bill's 2027 coverage cuts.

-0.9896

July 10, 2026Elevance Health closed modestly higher, touching its 52-week high intraday at $427.64, as the managed care sector continued its strong run amid a broader healthcare rotation. RBC Capital raised its price target on ELV to $439 from $358 (maintaining Sector Perform), and the stock carries a consensus mean target of ~$426.57 with an average overweight rating per FactSet. Investors are squarely focused on Q2 2026 earnings due July 15, where analysts expect EPS of $6.21 on ~$48.8B in revenue — though ELV has beaten EPS estimates by double digits in recent quarters. Sector tailwinds remain strong, with health care leading S&P 500 sectors for a second consecutive week and Jim Cramer calling managed care "the real bull market." Ongoing concerns include Medicaid cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill and ACA premium increases of ~14% for 2027, while CVS's CEO signaled manageable medical cost trends — a positive read-across for peers like Elevance.

1.0359

July 9, 2026Elevance Health closed modestly lower, underperforming the broader healthcare sector (XLV), as a broad market risk-off move triggered by President Trump declaring the U.S.-Iran ceasefire 'over' weighed on equities. While the healthcare sector has been one of the market's top performers recently — with XLV up over 6% in June — Elevance faces its own near-term catalyst with Q2 2026 earnings scheduled for July 15, where investors will be watching for further margin recovery progress after Q1's adjusted EPS beat and raised full-year guidance of at least $26.75. Separately, new data showing ACA Marketplace insurers proposing a median 14% premium hike for 2027 — driven by rising medical costs, deteriorating risk pools post-subsidy expiration, and GLP-1 drug costs — adds both pricing power context and cost pressure uncertainty heading into the print.

-0.6613

Barron's · July 17, 2026Elevance Health CEO Snaps Up Stock After Post-Earnings SlideInvestor's Business Daily · July 15, 2026Why Elevance Earnings Gave Health Insurance Stocks A Cold; UNH Up NextFierce Healthcare · July 15, 2026Elevance Health leaves D.C. Medicaid market, mulls future exitsWSJ · July 15, 2026Elevance Health Logs Lower Membership Amid Rate HikesSTAT · July 15, 2026Elevance plots a Medicaid retreat as costs remain highHealthcare Dive · July 15, 2026Elevance shuts down D.C. Medicaid business, eyes additional exits after passable Q2Moomoo · July 15, 2026Earnings Flash (ELV) Elevance Health, Inc. Reports Q2 Revenue $49.83B, Vs. FactSet Est of $48.84B
Mt Newswire · July 17, 2026Elevance Health Insider Bought Shares Worth $1,002,230, According to a Recent SEC Filing
Mt Newswire · July 17, 2026Bernstein Adjusts Price Target on Elevance Health to $488 From $482, Maintains Outperform Rating
Mt Newswire · July 17, 2026Leerink Partners Adjusts PT on Elevance Health to $395 From $364, Maintains Market Perform Rating
Mt Newswire · July 16, 2026Elevance Health's Strong Q2 Prompts Higher 2026-27 Estimates, Truist Says
Benzinga · July 16, 2026Wells Fargo Maintains Overweight on Elevance Health, Lowers Price Target to $473
Benzinga · July 16, 2026Medicaid's New Twice-A-Year Eligibility Check Starts In December: How To Keep Your Coverage And Which Stocks Feel It
Benzinga · July 16, 2026These Analysts Revise Their Forecasts On Elevance Health Following Q2 Earnings
Benzinga · July 16, 2026Guggenheim Maintains Buy on Elevance Health, Raises Price Target to $455

Peers

S&P 500SPX · $7,457.69-1.01%UnitedHealth Group IncorporatedUNH · $426.09+0.64%CVS Health Corp.CVS · $107.47+0.91%Cigna CorporationCI · $281.45-0.84%Humana Inc.HUM · $400.00+3.50%Centene Corp.CNC · $66.44+3.99%Molina Healthcare, Inc.MOH · $225.37+0.24%Oscar Health, Inc.OSCR · $29.10+0.83%HealthEquity, Inc.HQY · $97.67-1.03%Alignment Healthcare, Inc.ALHC · $20.60+2.85%Aflac IncorporatedAFL · $124.72+1.38%MetLife, Inc.MET · $94.00+0.32%