Elevance Health(ELV) - 2025 Q4 - Annual Results

Financial Performance - 4Q 2025 operating revenue was $49.3 billion, a 10% increase from the prior year, while FY 2025 revenue reached $197.6 billion, up 13%[6] - 4Q 2025 diluted EPS was $2.47, with adjusted diluted EPS at $3.33; FY 2025 diluted EPS was $25.21, and adjusted diluted EPS was $30.29[6] - Projected FY 2026 GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be at least $22.30, with adjusted diluted EPS projected to be at least $25.50[6] - Total operating revenue rose by 9.6% to $49,311 million for Q4 2025, with a total of $197,584 million for the full year, reflecting a 12.8% increase[39] - Adjusted Operating Gain for 2025 was $7.5 billion, with a guidance of at least $6.8 billion for 2026[61] - GAAP Diluted EPS for 2025 was $25.21, with a forecast of at least $22.30 for 2026[61] Segment Performance - Operating revenue for the Health Benefits segment was $41.8 billion in 4Q 2025, an 11% increase year-over-year, and $167.1 billion for FY 2025, also an 11% increase[17] - Carelon's operating revenue was $18.7 billion in 4Q 2025, a 27% increase compared to the prior year, and $71.7 billion for FY 2025, a 33% increase[24] - Operating revenue for the CarelonRx segment increased by 16.7% to $11,644 million in Q4 2025, with a full-year revenue of $43,400 million, up 20.7%[45] - Total Health Benefits Operating Revenue for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, was $167,094 million, reflecting an 11.2% increase from $150,275 million in 2024[49] Membership and Enrollment - Medical membership totaled approximately 45.2 million as of December 31, 2025, a decrease of 0.5 million, or 1%, year-over-year[18] - Total medical membership decreased by 1.1% year-over-year to 45,232,000 members as of December 31, 2025[37] - Medicare Advantage membership grew by 7.9% year-over-year to 2,230,000 members, while total Medicare membership increased by 5.2% to 3,112,000[37] - Year-End Medical Enrollment for 2025 was 45,232,000, projected to decrease to between 43,175,000 and 43,875,000 for 2026[63] - Commercial Fee-Based enrollment for 2025 was 27,092,000, expected to increase to between 27,200,000 and 27,500,000 for 2026[63] Expenses and Claims - The benefit expense ratio for 4Q 2025 was 93.5%, an increase of 110 basis points year-over-year, while the full year ratio was 90.0%, up 150 basis points[10] - The benefit expense as a percentage of premiums increased to 93.5% in Q4 2025, compared to 92.4% in Q4 2024[39] - The current year medical claims paid as a percentage of current year net incurred medical claims was 89.5% for 2025, up from 88.5% in 2024[51] - The net medical claims payable at the end of 2025 was $16,781 million, up from $15,567 million at the end of 2024[51] Shareholder Returns - The company returned $4.1 billion of capital to shareholders in 2025, including share repurchases and dividends[6] - The company declared a first quarter 2026 dividend of $1.72 per share, payable on March 25, 2026[27] - For the three months ended December 31, 2025, shareholders' net income increased by 30.9% to $547 million compared to $418 million in the same period of 2024[54] - Adjusted shareholders' earnings per diluted share for the three months ended December 31, 2025, increased by 3.1% to $3.33 compared to $3.23 in 2024[54] - Adjusted shareholders' net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, decreased by 11.6% to $6,804 million from $7,694 million in 2024[54] Assets and Cash Flow - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period increased to $9,491 million from $8,288 million year-over-year[41] - Total assets grew to $121,494 million as of December 31, 2025, compared to $116,889 million in 2024[41] - Operating Cash Flow for 2025 was $4.3 billion, with a guidance of at least $5.5 billion for 2026[61] Future Outlook - Full Year 2025 Premium Revenue was $164.6 billion, with a projected mid single digit decline for 2026[61] - Total Operating Revenue for 2025 was $197.6 billion, expected to decline in the low single digits for 2026[61] - Benefit Expense Ratio for 2025 was 90.0%, expected to increase to 90.2% +/- 50 bps for 2026[61] - Adjusted Effective Tax Rate for 2025 was 17.6%, projected to rise to between 22.0% and 24.0% for 2026[61]