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CVS vs ELV
Which Stock Would AI Choose? CVS Health (CVS) vs. Elevance Health (ELV) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- CVS has climbed about 12-14% in recent weeks, rebounding from late-March lows around $70, supported by regulatory tailwinds for its Aetna insurance and PBM (pharmacy benefit management) segments.
- ELV has surged roughly 25% in recent market activity, driven by a strong Q1 earnings beat with $50.18 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $12.58, plus raised full-year guidance.
- Both stocks show positive YTD gains, with ELV at nearly 7% and CVS at 5%, outperforming broader healthcare peers in momentum.
- ELV trades at a lower forward PE ratio of about 15.8 versus CVS's 59, reflecting stronger earnings consistency.
- Analyst targets suggest upside for both, with CVS at $96.58 (17% potential) and ELV around $389 (4-5% near-term), amid sector recovery.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines CVS Health and ELV (Elevance Health), two leading healthcare firms with overlapping exposure to insurance and services. CVS blends pharmacy retail, PBM, and health insurance via Aetna, while ELV focuses on managed care and benefits. Traders seeking relative performance insights in the recovering healthcare sector, and investors eyeing value amid earnings momentum, will find this analysis relevant for understanding market positioning, recent catalysts, and head-to-head trade-offs in today's environment.
CVS Overview and Recent Performance
CVS Health operates as an integrated healthcare provider, encompassing retail pharmacies, pharmacy services, and health insurance through its Aetna subsidiary. In recent weeks, the stock has risen approximately 12-14% from late-March lows near $70, trading around $82 with a market cap of $105 billion. This rebound reflects positive sentiment from regulatory developments boosting Aetna and PBM visibility, alongside analyst upgrades like Baird's Outperform rating with a $94 target. Upcoming Q1 earnings on May 6 are anticipated to highlight health services strength, though a high PE ratio of 59 signals earnings pressure. Broader market activity has supported gains, with YTD returns at 5.21% versus sector medians.
ELV Overview and Recent Performance
ELV (Elevance Health) is a major health insurer emphasizing managed care, Medicaid, and value-based services. Shares have advanced sharply in recent market activity, up over 25% from early April levels around $300 to near $373, with a $81 billion market cap. Key drivers include robust Q1 results on April 22—revenue of $50.18 billion beating estimates, adjusted EPS of $12.58 (16% above consensus), and raised FY EPS guidance to $26.75+—plus Medicaid margin improvements and buybacks. Analyst upgrades, such as BofA's Buy rating at $435, have fueled optimism. YTD performance stands at 6.97%, underpinned by a more attractive PE of 15.8.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CVS and ELV both navigate healthcare's insurance segment but differ in business models: CVS's retail-PBM-insurance integration offers diversification, while ELV's pure-play managed care emphasizes enrollment growth and cost controls. Growth drivers contrast with ELV's Medicaid recovery versus CVS's digital health push. Recent momentum favors ELV post-earnings surge, but CVS shows steadier rebound. Risk factors include regulatory scrutiny for both, though CVS faces retail pressures; ELV benefits from lower beta exposure. Sentiment tilts toward ELV's earnings stability amid sector tailwinds.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron's AI models currently lean toward ELV based on superior recent trend consistency, post-earnings momentum, lower valuation multiples, and Medicaid catalysts positioning it favorably relative to CVS. While CVS holds rebound potential ahead of earnings, ELV's stability suggests higher probability of outperformance in the near term.
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. Disclaimers and Limitations
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 Hold.
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 undervalued. 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 3 FA rating(s) are green whileELV’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- CVS’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- ELV’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 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 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while ELV’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CVS’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- ELV’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
CVS (@Managed Health Care) experienced а +0.62% price change this week, while ELV (@Managed Health Care) price change was -1.76% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Managed Health Care industry was +0.72%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +14.43%, and the average quarterly price growth was +37.57%.
Reported Earning Dates
CVS is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
ELV is expected to report earnings on Jul 22, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Managed Health Care (+0.72% 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.
| CVS | ELV | CVS / ELV | |
| Capitalization | 129B | 85.7B | 151% |
| EBITDA | 11.1B | N/A | - |
| Gain YTD | 29.826 | 13.784 | 216% |
| P/E Ratio | 44.43 | 16.73 | 266% |
| Revenue | 408B | 200B | 204% |
| Total Cash | 11.8B | N/A | - |
| Total Debt | 78.3B | 31.8B | 246% |
CVS | ELV | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 23 | 71 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 4 Undervalued | 7 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 71 | 91 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 89 | 98 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 13 | 47 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 6 | 37 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 75 |
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 (4) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (7) 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 (71) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (91) 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 (89) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (98) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS’s stock grew similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
CVS's Price Growth Rating (13) in the Drugstore Chains industry is somewhat better than the same rating for ELV (47) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS’s stock grew somewhat faster than ELV’s over the last 12 months.
CVS's P/E Growth Rating (6) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (37) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS’s stock grew similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
| CVS | ELV | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 60% | 2 days ago 66% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 61% | 2 days ago 62% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 66% | 2 days ago 65% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 63% | 2 days ago 63% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 59% | 2 days ago 58% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 60% | 2 days ago 56% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 12 days ago 66% | 16 days ago 56% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 59% | 6 days ago 56% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 62% | 2 days ago 67% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 45% |
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