Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) is among the cheap healthcare stocks to buy heading into 2026. As of December 7, Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) has a ‘Buy’ or equivalent rating from slightly more than half of the analysts covering the stock. With a median price target of $394, the stock has an upside potential of 19.12%. On November 26, TD Cowen increased the price target on Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) to $400.00 from $380.00, with an unchanged ‘Buy’ rating on the stock, naming it as its “Best Ide ...

Centene's health benefits ratio increases to 92.7% in the quarter from 89.2% in the same period last year. ...

Q3 2025 Financial Performance - Elevance Health's Q3 2025 operating revenue reached $50.1 billion, a 12.0% increase year-over-year, driven by higher premium yields, acquisitions, and Medicare Advantage growth, offset by Medicaid reverifications[4, 7] - The benefit expense ratio was 91.3%, aligning with expectations but reflecting elevated costs across business lines[3, 7] - Adjusted diluted EPS was $6.03, including approximately $1 of higher net investment income and tax benefit timing[3] - Operating cash flow was $1.1 billion, impacted by the BCBSA Provider Settlement Agreement payment[7] Health Benefits Segment - Health Benefits operating revenue increased by 10.4% to $42.2 billion, driven by higher premium yields, acquisitions, and Medicare Advantage growth, partially offset by Medicaid reverifications[4, 9, 10] - Adjusted operating margin for Health Benefits declined by 280 bps to 1.4%, due to higher medical costs and strategic investments[9, 10] - Health Benefits membership stood at 45.4 million, reflecting lower BlueCard membership and Medicaid reverifications, offset by Medicare Advantage growth[9, 10] Carelon Segment - Carelon's operating revenue grew by 32.9% to $18.3 billion, driven by its integrated platform and performance in Pharmacy and Services[4, 12] - Adjusted operating gain for Carelon was $0.8 billion, a decrease of 9.5%[12] - Carelon Services revenue increased by approximately 60%, supported by the CareBridge integration and expansion of risk-based and home-health capabilities[13] Strategic Outlook - Elevance Health reaffirmed its full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance of approximately $30, including a benefit expense ratio of approximately 90.0% and approximately $3 of discrete, non-core items[3] - The company anticipates Medicaid operating margin to decline by at least 125 basis points year-over-year due to rate increases lagging acuity and utilization trends[3] - Approximately 55% of Medicare Advantage members are in 4-Star or higher contracts for payment year 2027, up from approximately 40%[3]

Core Insights - Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) is highlighted as one of the stocks with the lowest P/E ratios on the NYSE [1] - Cantor Fitzgerald has reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a price target of $400 for Elevance Health, indicating confidence in the company's future performance [2] - The company’s weighted-average estimate for 2026 Marketplace rates is only about 40 basis points away from proposed rates, with most initial state authorizations aligning closely with payor plans [2] - Less than 25% of members currently have final rates, and political factors may still influence outcomes related to the CMS Marketplace Integrity & Affordability Final Rule [3] - Elevance Health has reiterated its 2025 earnings outlook, projecting a benefit expense ratio near 90% and earnings of $24.10 per diluted share, with an adjusted basis projection of approximately $30.00 [4] Business Segments - Elevance Health operates through four main business segments: Health Benefits, CarelonRx, Carelon Services, and Corporate & Other [4]

Core Insights - Elevance Health reported revenue of $49.42 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, reflecting a 14.3% increase year-over-year, and an EPS of $8.84, down from $10.12 in the same quarter last year [1] - The revenue exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $48.15 billion by 2.64%, while the EPS fell short of the consensus estimate of $9.16 by 3.49% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Benefit Expense Ratio was reported at 88.9%, slightly above the average estimate of 88.4% from 16 analysts [4] - Medical Membership - Commercial Risk-Based stood at 4.96 million, below the estimated 5 million [4] - Medical Membership - Commercial Fee-Based was reported at 27.15 million, slightly below the estimate of 27.22 million [4] - Service fees revenue was $2.11 billion, lower than the $2.23 billion estimate, representing a year-over-year decline of 7.4% [4] - Product revenue reached $6.04 billion, slightly below the $6.14 billion estimate, but showed a 9.3% increase year-over-year [4] - Net investment income was $486 million, exceeding the estimate of $464.67 million, but down 4.3% from the previous year [4] - Premiums revenue was reported at $41.27 billion, surpassing the estimate of $39.64 billion, with a year-over-year increase of 16.5% [4] - Total operating revenue from Health Benefits was $41.58 billion, above the estimate of $40.84 billion, reflecting an 11.9% year-over-year increase [4] - Total operating revenue from Carelon was $18.08 billion, exceeding the estimate of $16.86 billion, with a significant year-over-year increase of 35.8% [4] - Total operating revenue from Carelon Services was $7.44 billion, above the estimate of $6.8 billion, representing a remarkable 63.7% increase year-over-year [4] - Total operating revenue from CarelonRx was $10.64 billion, surpassing the estimate of $10.05 billion, with a year-over-year increase of 21.3% [4] Stock Performance - Elevance Health's shares have returned -8.3% over the past month, contrasting with the Zacks S&P 500 composite's increase of 4.2% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Financial Performance - Elevance Health's operating revenue for 2Q 2025 grew by 143% to $494 billion [7, 9] - The medical loss ratio was 889% [9] - Adjusted operating expense ratio improved by 140 bps to 100% [9] - Operating cash flow was $21 billion [9] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) decreased by 142% to $884 [7] Segment Results - Health Benefits operating revenue increased by 119% to $416 billion [11] - Health Benefits adjusted operating margin decreased by 200 bps to 38% [12] - Carelon revenue increased by 358% to $181 billion [14] - CarelonRx revenue increased by 213% to $1064 billion [33] - Carelon Services revenue increased by 637% to $7441 billion [33] Strategic Focus - Elevance Health is focused on simplifying healthcare, affordability, and accessibility for consumers [3, 5] - The company aims to deepen clinical and business partnerships with care providers [4, 5] - Elevance Health is targeting at least 12% average annual growth in Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share [19, 20]