Markets
markets

Elevance Health beats estimates on earnings, gives underwhelming guidance

Elevance Health, already battered after the Trump administration proposed keeping payments to private Medicare plans flat in 2027, reported earnings results on Wednesday that beat Wall Street estimates, but gave a disappointing full-year outlook.

For the last three months of 2025, Elevance Health reported:

  • $3.33 adjusted earnings per share, compared to the $3.10 analysts polled by FactSet were expecting.

  • $49.3 billion in revenue, compared to the $49.8 billion the Street was penciling in.

  • A medical cost ratio of 93.5%, right in line with estimates.

For full-year 2026, the company expects to report:

  • Annual adjusted earnings per share of at least $25.50, short of the $29.99 analysts are currently penciling in.

CEO Gail Boudreaux told analysts Wednesday morning that the company sees 2026 as a trough year. The outlook we provided today reflects prudent, achievable assumptions, grounded in pricing discipline, operational rigor, and targeted investments, she said.

The earnings report comes after the Trump administration said Tuesday it would seek roughly no change in rates for Medicare insurers, sending Elevance and a host of other major Medicare Advantage providers lower. The proposal complicates the turnaround story insurers like Elevance had been telling investors after taking a major hit in 2025 amid higher-than-expected medical costs.

Boudreaux said the company expects Medicare Advantage membership to decline in the high teens percentage range in 2026.”

More Markets

See all Markets
markets

SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

markets

Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

Latest Stories

Sherwood Media, LLC and Chartr Limited produce fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and are fully owned subsidiaries of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, Robinhood Money, LLC, Robinhood U.K. Ltd, Robinhood Derivatives, LLC, Robinhood Gold, LLC, Robinhood Asset Management, LLC, Robinhood Credit, Inc., Robinhood Ventures DE, LLC and, where applicable, its managed investment vehicles.