Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) Reaches New 1-Year High After Strong Earnings

Shares of Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $27.92 and last traded at $27.33, with a volume of 858714 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $25.60.

The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.07. Elanco Animal Health had a negative net margin of 4.95% and a positive return on equity of 7.42%. The company had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Elanco Animal Health has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.190-0.220 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 1.100-1.160 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on ELAN. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup raised their target price on Elanco Animal Health from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Elanco Animal Health from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered Elanco Animal Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Elanco Animal Health in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rajeev A. Modi purchased 4,911 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $20.35 per share, with a total value of $99,938.85. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 160,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,272,524.20. This trade represents a 3.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey N. Simmons purchased 4,971 shares of Elanco Animal Health stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $20.09 per share, with a total value of $99,867.39. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 171,971 shares in the company, valued at $3,454,897.39. The trade was a 2.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Elanco Animal Health by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 35,227,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,197,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717,404 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Elanco Animal Health by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 25,082,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $567,622,000 after acquiring an additional 373,869 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 56.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 16,468,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,669,000 after purchasing an additional 5,961,457 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,425,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $213,343,000 after purchasing an additional 640,098 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,771,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,612,000 after purchasing an additional 799,745 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.48% of the company’s stock.

Elanco Animal Health Stock Up 8.0%

The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $24.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.09. The firm has a market cap of $13.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.67.

About Elanco Animal Health

Elanco Animal Health Inc is a global leader in animal health dedicated to improving food and companion animal well-being. The company develops, manufactures and markets a range of products, including parasiticides, vaccines, antibiotics and feed additives designed to prevent and treat disease in livestock and pets. Elanco’s portfolio spans both food-producing animals—such as cattle, swine, poultry and aquaculture—and companion animals, with offerings that support parasite control, pain management and infectious disease prevention.

Originally founded as the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Company in the mid-20th century, Elanco was spun off into an independent publicly traded company in 2018.