Traders Purchase High Volume of Elanco Animal Health Call Options (NYSE:ELAN)

15 Sep 2026, 17:40 by Kim Johansen · The Markets Daily

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN – Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 3,768 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 413% compared to the average volume of 734 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lawrence Kurzius acquired 40,000 shares of Elanco Animal Health stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $23.40 per share, for a total transaction of $936,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 188,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,414,339.80. This trade represents a 26.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul Herendeen acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $23.68 per share, for a total transaction of $236,800.00. Following 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. Insiders have bought a total of 63,198 shares of company stock worth $1,473,109 in the last three months. 1.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elanco Animal Health

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Elanco Animal Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,202,198,000. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of Elanco Animal Health during the 2nd quarter worth $1,118,402,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Elanco Animal Health by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 35,227,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,197,000 after buying an additional 3,717,404 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Elanco Animal Health by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,425,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $213,343,000 after purchasing an additional 640,098 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Elanco Animal Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $205,636,000. 97.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Elanco Animal Health Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE ELAN traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $22.83. The stock had a trading volume of 2,985,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,614,660. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $24.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market cap of $11.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.68. Elanco Animal Health has a 1 year low of $18.22 and a 1 year high of $27.98.

Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. Elanco Animal Health’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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 anticipate that Elanco Animal Health will post 1.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ELAN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Elanco Animal Health in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Elanco Animal Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Elanco Animal Health from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.09.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ELAN

About Elanco Animal Health

(Get Free Report)

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.