Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) Reaches New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $24.89 and last traded at $24.8030, with a volume of 864017 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.53.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on ELAN. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Elanco Animal Health in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Elanco Animal Health from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group raised their target price on Elanco Animal Health from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Barclays assumed coverage on Elanco Animal Health in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus raised Elanco Animal Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.78.

Insider Transactions at Elanco Animal Health

In other news, Director Lawrence Erik Kurzius bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $21.30 per share, with a total value of $213,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 131,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,806,764.90. This represents a 8.21% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert M. Vanhimbergen bought 6,950 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $21.64 per share, for a total transaction of $150,398.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 124,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,688,402.12. This trade represents a 5.93% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 43,450 shares of company stock valued at $937,883. Company insiders own 0.89% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 434.2% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 126,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,801,000 after purchasing an additional 102,686 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Elanco Animal Health in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $12,502,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Elanco Animal Health by 1,333.7% in the 3rd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 168,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,386,000 after buying an additional 156,406 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 65.5% during the 2nd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 248,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,543,000 after buying an additional 98,172 shares during the period. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 239.0% during the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 166,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,373,000 after acquiring an additional 117,174 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.48% of the company’s stock.

Elanco Animal Health Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 413.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $22.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.78.

Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.06. Elanco Animal Health had a return on equity of 7.41% and a net margin of 0.78%.The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Elanco Animal Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.910-0.940 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.090-0.120 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Elanco Animal Health Incorporated will post 0.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Elanco Animal Health Company Profile

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.