Elanco Animal Health Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ELAN)

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 3,768 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 413% compared to the average daily volume of 734 call options.

Elanco Animal Health Stock Performance

Elanco Animal Health stock opened at $22.87 on Thursday. Elanco Animal Health has a twelve month low of $18.22 and a twelve month 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 50 day moving average is $24.43 and its 200 day moving average is $23.85. The company has a market capitalization of $11.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.78, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.68.

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. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.31 billion. Elanco Animal Health had a positive return on equity of 8.13% and a negative net margin of 3.96%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Elanco Animal Health will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ELAN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their price target on Elanco Animal Health from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Elanco Animal Health in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Elanco Animal Health from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. One 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Elanco Animal Health presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.09.

Insider Activity at Elanco Animal Health

In other Elanco Animal Health news, insider Shiv O’Neill purchased 3,998 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.58 per share, with a total value of $94,272.84. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 87,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,071,078.56. This trade represents a 4.77% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Robert M. Vanhimbergen acquired 4,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.08 per share, with a total value of $96,936.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 137,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,173,869.28. This trade represents a 3.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 63,198 shares of company stock valued at $1,473,109 in the last quarter. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Elanco Animal Health during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,202,198,000. Primecap Management Co. CA bought a new stake in Elanco Animal Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,118,402,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Elanco Animal Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $205,636,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Elanco Animal Health by 737.5% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 5,650,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,214,000 after buying an additional 4,975,721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 3,717,404 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 (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.