Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) Stock Rated Buy in New Coverage at The Goldman Sachs Group

Analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 36.09% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on ELAN. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Elanco Animal Health from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Elanco Animal Health in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Elanco Animal Health in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Elanco Animal Health from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research 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, Elanco Animal Health presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.91.

Elanco Animal Health Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of ELAN opened at $23.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Elanco Animal Health has a 1 year low of $19.40 and a 1 year high of $27.98. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.58. The firm has a market cap of $11.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -57.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.70.

Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.07. Elanco Animal Health had a negative net margin of 3.96% and a positive return on equity of 8.13%. The firm had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Elanco Animal Health will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Elanco Animal Health

In other Elanco Animal Health news, CFO Robert M. Vanhimbergen bought 4,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $23.08 per share, with a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 137,516 shares in the company, valued at $3,173,869.28. This trade represents a 3.15% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul Herendeen bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.68 per share, with a total value of $236,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 111,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,748.16. This represents a 9.83% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 63,198 shares of company stock worth $1,473,109. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Elanco Animal Health by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 53,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,208,000 after buying an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC purchased a new position in Elanco Animal Health in the third quarter worth about $290,000. Wedmont Private Capital grew its position in Elanco Animal Health by 38.0% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 12,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 3,564 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Elanco Animal Health by 14.1% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Elanco Animal Health by 12.5% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.48% of the company’s stock.

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 includes veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, nutritional products and other solutions designed to prevent and treat disease, improve animal well-being and support livestock productivity.

For companion animals, Elanco offers products addressing pain, osteoarthritis, dermatological conditions, infectious diseases and flea, tick and intestinal parasite control.