Elevance Health Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates on Rising Medical Costs

Core Insights - Elevance Health, Inc. (ELV) reported Q2 2025 adjusted EPS of $8.84, missing estimates by 3.5% and declining 12.6% year over year [1][8] - Operating revenues reached $49.4 billion, up 14.3% year over year, exceeding consensus estimates by 2.6% [1][8] - The increase in revenues was driven by higher premiums and product revenues, although rising medical costs in ACA and Medicaid impacted margins [1][8] Financial Performance - Medical membership stood at approximately 45.6 million, a decrease of 0.3% year over year, attributed to Medicaid attrition [2] - Premiums increased by 16.5% year over year to $41.3 billion, surpassing the consensus estimate of $39.6 billion [3] - Product revenues were $6 billion, a 9.3% increase year over year, but fell short of estimates [3] - Total expenses rose 16.1% year over year to $47.5 billion, driven by higher benefit expenses and interest costs [4] - The adjusted operating margin decreased by 170 basis points to 5% [3] Segment Performance - Health Benefits segment revenues totaled $41.6 billion, an 11.9% increase year over year, exceeding estimates [4] - Operating gains in the Health Benefits segment declined 27.3% year over year to $1.6 billion [5] - Carelon segment revenues reached $18.1 billion, a 36.1% increase year over year, driven by acquisitions and product revenue growth [6] - Carelon's operating gain increased by 28.6% year over year to $936 million [7] Cash Flow and Capital Management - Cash and cash equivalents rose to $8.6 billion from $8.3 billion at the end of 2024 [10] - Total assets increased to $121.9 billion from $116.9 billion at the end of 2024 [10] - Long-term debt decreased to $28.2 billion from $29.2 billion [11] - The company generated net cash flow from operations of $3.1 billion in the first half of 2025, a 26.6% increase year over year [11] - Share buybacks amounted to $379 million in Q2, with $8 billion remaining under the buyback authorization [12] Outlook - Adjusted EPS guidance for 2025 was lowered to $30 from a previous range of $34.15 to $34.85 [13] - The company anticipates operating revenues to grow in the high-single- to low-double-digit range in 2025 [15] - Medical enrollment is expected to be between 45.8 and 46.7 million in 2025 [15]