Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Analysts

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.42.

ELAN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased 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 report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Elanco Animal Health from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Elanco Animal Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $24.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. UBS Group upped their price target on Elanco Animal Health from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Elanco Animal Health in a research note on Friday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company.

Elanco Animal Health Price Performance

Elanco Animal Health stock opened at $22.63 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $11.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.70. Elanco Animal Health has a one year low of $19.40 and a one year high of $27.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $23.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.31 billion. Elanco Animal Health had a negative net margin of 3.96% and a positive return on equity of 8.13%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 EPS. 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. As a group, analysts predict that Elanco Animal Health will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Timothy J. Bettington sold 4,350 shares of Elanco Animal Health stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total transaction of $100,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 138,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,194,953. The trade was a 3.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Lawrence Kurzius purchased 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $23.40 per share, with a total value of $936,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 188,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,414,339.80. The trade was a 26.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 63,198 shares of company stock valued at $1,473,109 in the last three months. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State of Wyoming boosted its position in Elanco Animal Health by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 21,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 3,773 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its holdings in Elanco Animal Health by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 257,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,767,000 after purchasing an additional 45,700 shares in the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board raised its position in Elanco Animal Health by 3.4% in the third quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 15,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Steinberganna Wealth Management raised its position in Elanco Animal Health by 0.8% in the third quarter. Steinberganna Wealth Management now owns 62,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,391,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Elanco Animal Health during the third quarter worth about $41,000. 97.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Elanco Animal Health

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated 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 and support the health and productivity of animals.

The company’s products include vaccines, parasiticides, antibiotics, nutritional supplements and other prescription and over-the-counter therapies. Its companion animal offerings address conditions such as flea and tick infestations, internal parasites, osteoarthritis and dermatological disorders, while its farm animal products support the health of cattle, poultry, swine and aquaculture species.

Elanco serves customers in markets around the world through relationships with veterinarians, animal owners, livestock producers, retailers and distributors.