Traders Buy Large Volume of Elanco Animal Health Call Options (NYSE:ELAN)

Posted by Brian Himes on Sep 15th, 2026

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN – Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 3,768 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 413% compared to the typical daily volume of 734 call options.

Elanco Animal Health Stock Performance

NYSE:ELAN traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $22.83. 2,985,687 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,614,660. Elanco Animal Health has a one year low of $18.22 and a one year high of $27.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $24.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.90. The firm has a market cap of $11.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -55.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.68.

Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.07. Elanco Animal Health had a positive return on equity of 8.13% and a negative net margin of 3.96%.The business had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts anticipate that Elanco Animal Health will post 1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ELAN shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Elanco Animal Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Elanco Animal Health from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Elanco Animal Health from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Elanco Animal Health has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.09.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Elanco Animal Health

Insider Transactions at Elanco Animal Health

In related news, Director Lawrence Kurzius purchased 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $23.40 per share, for a total transaction of $936,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 188,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,414,339.80. The trade was a 26.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Shiv O’Neill acquired 3,998 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $23.58 per share, for a total transaction of $94,272.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 87,832 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,078.56. The trade was a 4.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought a total of 63,198 shares of company stock worth $1,473,109 over the last three months. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ELAN. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Elanco Animal Health in the second quarter worth $1,202,198,000. Primecap Management Co. CA bought a new stake in Elanco Animal Health in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,118,402,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Elanco Animal Health during the second quarter worth about $205,636,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Elanco Animal Health by 737.5% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 5,650,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,214,000 after purchasing an additional 4,975,721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $797,197,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717,404 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.48% of the company’s stock.

Elanco Animal Health Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) is a global animal health company that develops, manufactures and markets products for pets and food-producing animals. Its portfolio is designed to help prevent and treat disease, control parasites, improve animal well-being and support productivity in livestock and aquaculture.

The company’s products include vaccines, parasiticides, antibiotics, animal health pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements. Its companion animal portfolio serves dogs and cats, while its livestock business provides products for cattle, poultry, swine and aquaculture operations.