South Dakota Investment Council Buys 8,883 Shares of Elevance Health, Inc. $ELV

Key Points

• South Dakota Investment Council increased its Elevance Health stake by 7.9%, purchasing 8,883 shares to hold 121,181 shares valued at approximately $35.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 89.24% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 15 Buy ratings and eight Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $440.90. Several firms recently raised their targets to between $450 and $465.
• Elevance Health beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $7.45 versus the $6.21 consensus and revenue of $49.83 billion, while EPS declined from $8.84 a year earlier. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.72, equivalent to a 1.8% annualized yield.

South Dakota Investment Council grew its stake in shares of Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV - Free Report) by 7.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 121,181 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,883 shares during the period. Elevance Health makes up 0.7% of South Dakota Investment Council's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. South Dakota Investment Council owned about 0.06% of Elevance Health worth $35,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Elevance Health by 160.4% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 50,486 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,698,000 after purchasing an additional 31,101 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Elevance Health by 1,797.0% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 152,705 shares of the company's stock worth $53,531,000 after purchasing an additional 144,655 shares during the period. Solidarity Wealth LLC bought a new position in Elevance Health in the fourth quarter worth $1,433,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Elevance Health by 1,423.1% during the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 368,426 shares of the company's stock worth $129,152,000 after buying an additional 344,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in Elevance Health by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 288,976 shares of the company's stock worth $101,301,000 after buying an additional 16,540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.24% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ELV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Elevance Health from $352.00 to $404.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $435.00 to $465.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $400.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $399.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $440.90.

Elevance Health Stock Performance

Elevance Health stock opened at $376.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $397.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $356.66. Elevance Health, Inc. has a 52-week low of $273.71 and a 52-week high of $436.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $7.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.21 by $1.24. Elevance Health had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 14.64%. The company had revenue of $49.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.84 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Elevance Health, Inc. will post 27.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Elevance Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be given a $1.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $6.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Elevance Health's payout ratio is 30.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Elevance Health news, Director Robert L. Dixon, Jr. sold 151 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.77, for a total transaction of $60,667.27. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,312,599.18. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Elevance Health News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings estimates. The firm increased its FY2026 EPS forecast to $27.06 from $26.79, FY2027 to $28.83 from $28.51, and FY2028 to $32.49 from $31.77. It also raised estimates for Q2 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028 and Q2 2028, indicating improving expectations for Elevance Health’s longer-term profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying provided a vote of confidence. A report highlighted purchases of Elevance Health shares by the company’s CEO and chairman, a potentially supportive signal because insider buying can suggest management views the stock as undervalued. Elevance Health Pick of the Week at Smart Insider Following CEO, Chairman Share Purchases
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer comparison offers limited direct impact. A head-to-head survey compared Elevance Health with Aeon Global Health, but the article does not indicate a material change to ELV’s earnings outlook or valuation. Head to Head Survey: Elevance Health and Aeon Global Health
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains cautious. A Seeking Alpha analysis said Elevance Health has upside potential but is “not yet a buy,” which may limit buying interest. Investors may also be focused on near-term earnings pressure: the latest quarterly EPS of $7.45 exceeded estimates but declined from $8.84 in the prior-year period. Elevance Health Has Upside, But Not Yet A Buy

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.

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