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CVS vs ELV
Which Stock Would AI Choose? CVS Health (CVS) vs. Elevance Health (ELV) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- CVS is executing a multi-quarter turnaround, with improved medical cost control at its Aetna insurance unit and raised 2026 guidance.
- ELV offers a more diversified, premium-driven managed care model, but its margins remain pressured by elevated Medicaid costs.
- Both companies beat Wall Street estimates in recent quarters, though CVS has shown stronger relative stock momentum over the past year.
- CVS carries unique pharmacy-benefit-manager (PBM) and regulatory headwinds, while ELV faces Medicaid margin and membership attrition risks.
- Their contrasting profiles make this a useful stock comparison for investors weighing turnaround value against steadier, fee-based stability.
Introduction
CVS Health Corporation and Elevance Health, Inc. are two of the largest names in U.S. healthcare, yet they compete in different parts of the value chain. CVS combines a retail pharmacy network, a pharmacy benefit manager (a PBM, which negotiates drug benefits for health plans), and the Aetna insurance business. Elevance Health, the parent of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, is primarily a managed care insurer with a growing services arm called Carelon. Investors tracking healthcare sector rotation, relative performance, and market positioning may find this comparison useful, as each company reflects a distinct response to elevated medical costs and regulatory change.
CVS Overview and Recent Performance
CVS Health has been in a well-documented operational recovery. After several disappointing quarters in 2024, the company replaced its CEO and launched a turnaround focused on cost discipline, Medicare Advantage repricing, and pharmacy efficiency. Recent results reflect that progress. In its latest quarter, CVS reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.58 on revenue of $106.1 billion, up 7.3% year over year, and raised its full-year adjusted EPS outlook to a range of $7.90 to $8.10. A key driver has been Aetna's improving medical loss ratio (MLR, the share of premiums spent on medical claims), which declined year over year as cost management improved.
Sentiment has been broadly positive but not without friction. The stock has gained more than 50% over the trailing 12 months, yet shares pulled back after management cautioned that its Caremark PBM expects membership declines and that a regulatory program known as 340B would remain a headwind into 2027. CVS also announced a collaboration with Eli Lilly to make weight-loss medications more accessible, a development that supports its pharmacy growth narrative.
ELV Overview and Recent Performance
Elevance Health operates a diversified portfolio of medical, pharmacy, behavioral, and clinical services serving roughly 104 million consumers. Its Health Benefits segment generates most revenue through premiums, while its Carelon division (including CarelonRx) adds higher-growth, fee-based services. In its most recent quarter, Elevance reported adjusted EPS of $7.45 on operating revenue of $49.8 billion, up 0.8% year over year, and raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to at least $27. Results were aided by stronger-than-expected Medicare Advantage performance and growth in CarelonRx product revenue.
However, Elevance's margins remain under pressure. The benefit expense ratio rose year over year, and management maintained a full-year Medicaid operating margin outlook of roughly negative 1.75% as behavioral health and specialty pharmacy costs stayed elevated. The company is repositioning by exiting unprofitable Medicaid markets and narrowing its Medicare Advantage product mix. Shares have advanced meaningfully over the past six months but have lagged in more recent trading, reflecting investor caution around membership attrition.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
The two companies diverge most clearly in business model. CVS is a vertically integrated healthcare conglomerate spanning pharmacy retail, drug-benefit management, and insurance, giving it multiple levers but also multiple regulatory exposures. Elevance is a more focused managed care organization whose growth increasingly comes from fee-based services and pharmacy products rather than premium underwriting alone.
Growth drivers also differ. CVS is leaning on its insurance turnaround, prescription volume gains from acquired Rite Aid pharmacies, and specialty pharmacy. Elevance is betting on Carelon's expansion and disciplined portfolio repositioning. On momentum, CVS has delivered stronger trailing relative performance, while Elevance offers steadier, more diversified cash generation. Risk factors are similarly distinct: CVS faces PBM pricing scrutiny and 340B pressure, whereas Elevance contends with Medicaid margin erosion and commercial membership churn. Sector exposure overlaps through government programs such as Medicare Advantage, but the two companies hedge that exposure differently.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable trend consistency, catalyst strength, and relative positioning, Tickeron's AI would likely lean toward CVS in the current environment. CVS is showing improving fundamentals across multiple segments, a rising guidance trajectory, and stronger recent price momentum, which aligns with trend-following signals. ELV remains a quality operator, but its compressed Medicaid margins and membership attrition introduce more near-term uncertainty. That said, this is a probabilistic assessment rather than a definitive call; shifting medical cost trends or regulatory developments could quickly alter the balance between the two.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is CVS is a Buy and ELV is a StrongBuy.
CVS | ELV | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 51 | 57 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 2 Undervalued | 6 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 83 | 92 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 81 | 99 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 56 | 43 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 31 | 18 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 65 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
CVS's Valuation (2) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (6) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS’s stock grew similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
CVS's Profit vs Risk Rating (83) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (92) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS’s stock grew similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
CVS's SMR Rating (81) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (99) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS’s stock grew similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
ELV's Price Growth Rating (43) in the Managed Health Care industry is in the same range as CVS (56) in the Drugstore Chains industry. This means that ELV’s stock grew similarly to CVS’s over the last 12 months.
ELV's P/E Growth Rating (18) in the Managed Health Care industry is in the same range as CVS (31) in the Drugstore Chains industry. This means that ELV’s stock grew similarly to CVS’s over the last 12 months.
| CVS | ELV | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 74% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 60% | 2 days ago 63% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 57% | 2 days ago 63% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 56% | 2 days ago 55% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 59% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 57% | 2 days ago 56% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | N/A | 19 days ago 57% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 60% | 2 days ago 56% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 67% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 53% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CVS’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green while ELV’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- CVS’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- ELV’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CVS’s TA Score shows that 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while ELV’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CVS’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 4 bearish.
- ELV’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
CVS (@Managed Health Care) experienced а +0.18% price change this week, while ELV (@Managed Health Care) price change was -4.16% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Managed Health Care industry was -0.93%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -7.57%, and the average quarterly price growth was +57.20%.
Reported Earning Dates
CVS is expected to report earnings on Nov 04, 2026.
ELV is expected to report earnings on Oct 21, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Managed Health Care (-0.93% weekly)Managed healthcare industry focuses on providing health/medical and disability insurance plans, generally intended to reduce the cost of for-profit health care. The insurance products might be provided through employer-paid (fully or partly) insurance and benefit programs, or through Medicare/Medicaid. Some of the largest providers of managed health care include Aetna, Humana Inc., and Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare.
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CVS and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CVS has been closely correlated with UNH. These tickers have moved in lockstep 66% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if CVS jumps, then UNH could also see price increases.
ELV and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ELV has been closely correlated with UNH. These tickers have moved in lockstep 68% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if ELV jumps, then UNH could also see price increases.