Research workspace

Finance

Public market data, research, and analysis in one place.

Finance home
Back to US Equities

US Equities · Finance research note

ELV — Elevance Health

Research and analysis only
View analysis Browse US Equities

Evidence and analysis

Research evidence pack

Source-backed valuation visuals

Loading verified snapshot
Loading verified market, valuation, and statement data.

1. Industry Fundamentals

1.1 Cyclicality

The company operates in a cyclical industry sensitive to macroeconomic conditions. Revenue and earnings tend to correlate with broader economic cycles, with periods of expansion driving growth and contractions creating headwinds. The latest verified market price is shown in the return section below.86B.

1.2 Competition

The industry is moderately competitive with established players and meaningful barriers to entry. Beta of 0.68 suggests moderate market sensitivity. Competitive advantages stem from brand, scale, or regulatory moats.

1.3 Technology

Key technology drivers include digital transformation, operational efficiency, automation. Companies that invest in R&D and adopt new technologies tend to gain market share. The pace of technological change creates both opportunities for innovation and risks of disruption.


2. Company Fundamentals

2.1 Competitiveness

MetricValue
Operating Margins5.3%
Profit Margins2.62%
Return on Equity12.09%
Return on Assets3.98%
Free Float0.22B
Dividend Yield1.78%
Short Int % Utilisation3.4%

2.2 Growth

MetricValue
Revenue Growth2.6%
Free Cash Flow4.3B
EBITDA9.69 (Ratio)
Enterprise Value82.76B
EV/Revenue0.41
EV/EBITDA9.69

Revenue growth of 2.6% suggests mature or challenged top-line momentum.

2.3 Management

RoleMetric
Consensus RatingN/A

2.4 Return

MetricValue
Expected Return (Ann.)*41.37%
Risk / Std Dev (Ann.)*35.15%
1-Year Price Return*32.03%

Latest Market Data (as of 2026-08-14, US Eastern time):

MetricValue
Last Price$400.32
52-Week Range$274.84 – $436.24
Observation Count248 trading days

The return and risk statistics use daily adjusted closes from the retrieved one-year series and annualise daily moments using 252 trading days. The last price is the latest regular-market price reported for the stated date. Source: Yahoo Finance market data.

DuPont Model Analysis

The DuPont model decomposes return on equity (ROE) into three operating and capital-structure drivers:

ROE = Net Margin × Asset Turnover × Equity Multiplier

The comparison uses the latest two comparable annual periods available for the issuer, with reported statement amounts shown in US$. Revenue and net income are income-statement flows; total assets and shareholders’ equity are year-end balance-sheet figures. This is a simplified year-end-balance DuPont comparison rather than an average-balance ROE calculation.

DuPont componentCalculationFY2025FY2024
RevenueReported revenue$199.12B$176.81B
Net incomeReported net income$5.66B$5.98B
Total assetsYear-end reported balance$121.49B$116.89B
Shareholders’ equityYear-end reported balance$43.88B$41.31B
Net marginNet income ÷ revenue2.84%3.38%
Asset turnoverRevenue ÷ total assets1.6390x1.5126x
Equity multiplierTotal assets ÷ shareholders’ equity2.7687x2.8292x
ROENet margin × asset turnover × equity multiplier12.90%14.47%

Source: Yahoo Finance annual statements. Values are based on the two latest comparable annual periods returned by the source; fiscal period labels use the statement period-end year.

2.5 FCFF DCF Valuation

Valuation basis: This research model follows a five-year, unlevered FCFF DCF. It starts from reported annual operating inputs, forecasts revenue and operating cash conversion under an explicit mechanical policy, discounts FCFF at WACC, applies a Gordon-growth terminal value, and bridges enterprise value to an indicative common-equity value per share. It is an analytical estimate rather than a recommendation or personalised target price.

Step 1 — Forecast Operating Profit and NOPAT

Reported operating inputValue
Revenue$199.12B
Prior annual revenue$176.81B
EBIT$8.11B
Tax rate15.60%
NOPAT = EBIT × (1 − tax rate)$6.85B
Forecast start-growth basis12.62%
Forecast policylatest reported annual revenue growth, bounded to -10.00% / 15.00%

Step 2 — Calculate FCFF

Current FCFF building blockValue
NOPAT$6.85B
Add: depreciation & amortisation$1.55B
Less: capital expenditure-$1.12B
Less/(add): working-capital cash-flow movement-$3.28B
Current unlevered FCFF$4.00B

Explicit FCFF forecast

Forecast yearRevenue growthNOPATD&ACapexChange in NWCFCFFPresent value
112.62%$7.71B$1.74B-$1.26B-$3.69B$4.50B$4.35B
210.09%$8.49B$1.92B-$1.52B-$4.06B$4.83B$4.35B
37.56%$9.13B$2.06B-$1.78B-$4.37B$5.05B$4.24B
45.03%$9.59B$2.17B-$2.01B-$4.59B$5.15B$4.03B
52.50%$9.83B$2.22B-$2.22B-$4.70B$5.12B$3.74B

Step 3 — Determine the Discount Rate (WACC)

WACC inputValue
Risk-free rate4.71%
Equity risk premium assumption5.50%
Beta0.69
Cost of equity8.52%
Pre-tax cost of debt4.43%
WACC7.23%
WACC validationwithin standard range

Step 4 — Estimate Terminal Value

Terminal-value inputValue
Perpetuity growth rate2.50%
Terminal value$111.16B
Implied terminal EV / EBITDA8.02x
Terminal value as % of enterprise value79.11%

Step 5 — Discount Cash Flows to Enterprise Value

Enterprise-value componentValue
Present value of explicit FCFF$20.71B
Present value of terminal value$78.43B
Indicated enterprise value$99.14B
Discounting conventionmid-year for explicit FCFF; terminal value discounted at year-end five

Step 6 — Convert Enterprise Value to Equity Value

Equity bridgeValue
Indicated enterprise value$99.14B
Less: gross interest-bearing debt$32.05B
Add: cash and equivalents$35.38B
Add: affiliate investments$0.00
Less: minority interests$144.00M
Indicated common equity value$102.33B

Step 7 — Calculate Indicative Value Per Share

Per-share outputValue
Shares used224,600,000.00
Share-count basisreported diluted weighted-average shares
Current market price$398.44
DCF indicative value per share$455.59
Indicative value vs. market price14.34%

Model Integrity Checks

CheckResult
Perpetuity growth is below the risk-free ratepass
Perpetuity growth is below WACCpass
WACC is within the configured operating-company rangepass
Terminal-year FCFF is positivepass
Terminal capex converges to D&Apass
Terminal-value concentrationwithin review band
Implied price differs from spot by more than 30%within review band

2.6 Investor-Style Research Screen

Educational screenResult
Buffett-inspired cash-quality checks3/4 evidenced checks
Lynch-inspired balance-and-growth checks2/4 evidenced checks

Data lineage: Yahoo Finance public market and reported-statement data; retrieval timestamp: 2026-08-18 17:31:36.159165 UTC; latest reported fiscal period: 2025-12-31 00:00:00. Default assumptions: five-year forecast, mid-year discounting for explicit FCFF, a maximum 2.50% perpetuity-growth rate below both WACC and the risk-free rate, historical operating-ratio persistence, and capex convergence to D&A by year five. No sell-side consensus or management guidance is substituted for reported inputs. This is research and analysis only, not personalized financial advice.

2.7 Quantitative Factor Diagnostics

Model basis: Daily issuer USD excess returns are regressed in-sample using ordinary least squares on matching regional Fama–French factors. FF3 estimates market, size, and value loadings; FF5 adds profitability and investment. Coefficients are descriptive historical exposures, not predictions.

Estimation inputValue
Regional factor setUS
Factor-return currencyUSD
Issuer-return basisUSD adjusted total return
Estimation window2025-08-19 to 2026-06-30
Aligned daily observations217
Minimum observation requirement120
Currency conversion for HK listingsnot required

Fama–French Three-Factor and Five-Factor Results

DiagnosticFF3FF5
Annualised alpha13.79%18.78%
Adjusted R²0.030.03
Annualised residual volatility33.25%33.18%
Factor loading (t-statistic)FF3FF5
Market excess return (Mkt-RF)0.46 (2.34)0.55 (2.46)
Size (SMB)0.13 (0.51)0.10 (0.36)
Value (HML)0.48 (2.10)0.34 (1.21)
Profitability (RMW)NM0.12 (0.51)
Investment (CMA)NM0.28 (0.68)

Definitions: Mkt-RF is the market return less the risk-free rate; SMB is small minus big; HML is high minus low book-to-market; RMW is robust minus weak profitability; CMA is conservative minus aggressive investment. Factor returns are sourced from the Kenneth R. French Data Library; issuer adjusted-return history is sourced from Yahoo Finance. For Hong Kong listings, adjusted HKD prices are converted into USD with daily USD/HKD closes before return calculation to match the USD regional factor basis. This is an in-sample historical regression; coefficients and t-statistics do not establish causation or predict future returns. This is research and analysis only, not personalized financial advice.

us-equitystockequityelvhealth-caremanaged-health-carenasdaq