elevance health presentation

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Dow futures, nasdaq futures, russell 2000 futures, bitcoin usd, cmc crypto 200, elevance health reports results for fourth quarter and full year 2023; sets full year 2024 outlook.

4Q 2023 operating revenue of $42.5 billion, up 7.0% from 4Q 2022; FY 2023 operating revenue of $170 billion, up 9.3% from FY 2022

4Q 2023 GAAP diluted EPS 1 of $3.63, up 1.1% from 4Q 2022 and adjusted diluted EPS 2 of $5.62, up 15.2%; FY 2023 GAAP diluted EPS of $25.22, up 3.9% from FY 2022 and adjusted diluted EPS 2 of $33.14, up 16.2%

Projected FY 2024 GAAP diluted EPS and adjusted diluted EPS 2 of greater than $34.29 and $37.10 per share, respectively

Quarterly dividend increased by 10.1% to $1.63 per share

INDIANAPOLIS, January 24, 2024 --( BUSINESS WIRE )--Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE: ELV) reported fourth quarter and full year 2023 results.

"We are pleased to have delivered another year of strong performance in 2023, enabled by our relentless focus on customer experience and affordability, and continued investments in growth and innovation. The balance and resilience of our business coupled with the focused execution of our enterprise strategy supports our confidence in our outlook for 2024, as we continue to optimize the foundation, and scale our flywheel for sustained growth of the enterprise over the long term."

Gail K. Boudreaux

President and Chief Executive Officer

Operating revenue was $42.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of $2.8 billion, or 7 percent compared to fourth quarter 2022. Operating revenue was $170.2 billion in 2023, an increase of $14.5 billion, or 9 percent. The increase in the quarter and year was driven by higher premium revenue in our Health Benefits segment and growth in pharmacy product revenue in CarelonRx.

The benefit expense ratio was 89.2 percent in the fourth quarter, an improvement of 50 basis points compared to fourth quarter 2022, and 87.0 percent for the full year, an improvement of 60 basis points year-over-year. The improvement in the quarter and year was driven by premium rate adjustments to cover medical cost trend. Days in Claims Payable was 47.3 days as of December 31, 2023, a decrease of 1.3 days from September 30, 2023, and a decrease of 0.2 days compared to December 31, 2022.

The operating expense ratio was 11.8 percent both in the fourth quarter and for the full year of 2023, an increase of 30 basis points as compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 and an increase of 40 basis points year-over-year. The increase in the quarter was driven by an acceleration of investments for growth and the increase for the full year was driven by business optimization charges recorded in 2023.

Cash Flow & Balance Sheet

Operating cash flow for 2023 was $8.1 billion, or 1.3 times GAAP net income. As of December 31, 2023, cash and investments at the parent company totaled approximately $1.6 billion.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company repurchased 2.0 million shares of its common stock for $929 million, at a weighted average price of $465.63. For the full year of 2023, the Company repurchased 5.8 million shares of its common stock for $2.7 billion, at a weighted average price of $463.53. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $4.2 billion of Board approved share repurchase authorization remaining. During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.48 per share, representing a distribution of cash totaling $346 million.

Health Benefits is comprised of Individual, Employer Group risk-based, Employer Group fee-based, BlueCard, Medicare, Medicaid, and Federal Health Products & Services businesses.

Operating revenue was $36.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of $1.5 billion, or 4 percent compared to fourth quarter 2022. Operating revenue was $148.6 billion in 2023, an increase of $10.1 billion, or 7 percent. The increase was primarily driven by higher premium revenue in our Commercial Health Benefits business.

Operating gain totaled $767 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, a decline of 2 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. This was primarily driven by investments made in the quarter to support long-term growth. Operating gain totaled $6.9 billion in 2023, an increase of $866 million, or 14 percent year-over-year. This was primarily driven by premium rate adjustments to reflect medical cost trends.

Medical membership totaled approximately 47.0 million as of December 31, 2023, a decrease of 570 thousand, or 1 percent year-over-year. This was driven by attrition in our Medicaid business associated with the resumption of eligibility redeterminations in the second quarter of 2023 and declines in our Employer Group risk-based business. These membership losses were partially offset by growth in BlueCard, Affordable Care Act health plans, and Medicare Advantage.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, medical membership declined by 364 thousand driven by Medicaid membership attrition associated with redeterminations, partially offset by growth in commercial fee-based members.

Carelon is comprised of CarelonRx and Carelon Services.

Operating revenue in the Carelon segments was $12.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of $1.5 billion, or 14 percent from fourth quarter 2022. Operating revenue was $48.0 billion in 2023, an increase of $6.6 billion, or 16 percent. The increases for the quarter and the year were driven by growth in pharmacy product revenue in CarelonRx associated with growth in both external pharmacy members served and the acquisition of the BioPlus specialty pharmacy.

Operating gain in the Carelon segments was $592 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of $78 million, or 15 percent from fourth quarter 2022. The increase in the quarter was primarily driven by improved performance in our Carelon Services businesses. Operating gain was $2.7 billion in 2023, an increase of $252 million, or 10 percent year-over-year. The increase for the full year was primarily driven by higher prescription volumes in CarelonRx associated with growth in external pharmacy members served, the acquisition of the BioPlus specialty pharmacy, and improved performance across our Carelon Services businesses, along with the continued expansion of our post-acute care management business.

About Elevance Health

Elevance Health is a lifetime, trusted health partner fueled by its purpose to improve the health of humanity. The company supports consumers, families, and communities across the entire care journey – connecting them to the care, support, and resources they need to lead healthier lives. Elevance Health’s companies serve more than 115 million people through a diverse portfolio of industry-leading medical, digital, pharmacy, behavioral, clinical, and complex care solutions. For more information, please visit www.elevancehealth.com or follow us @ElevanceHealth on X and Elevance Health on LinkedIn.

Conference Call and Webcast

Management will host a conference call and webcast today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time ("EST") to discuss the company’s fourth quarter and full year results and outlook. The conference call should be accessed at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call with the following numbers:

The access code for today's conference call is 3972058. There is no access code for the replay. The replay will be available from 11:30 a.m. EDT today, until the end of the day on February 23, 2024. The call will also be available through a live webcast at www.elevancehealth.com under the "Investors" link. A webcast replay will be available following the call.

Basis of Presentation

Operating revenue and operating gain/loss are the key measures used by management to evaluate performance in each of its reporting segments, allocate resources, set incentive compensation targets and to forecast future operating performance. Operating gain/loss is calculated as total operating revenue less benefit expense, cost of products sold and operating expense. It does not include net investment income, net gains/losses on financial instruments, interest expense, amortization of other intangible assets, gains/losses on extinguishment of debt or income taxes, as these items are managed in a corporate shared service environment and are not the responsibility of operating segment management. Refer to the GAAP reconciliation tables.

Operating margin is defined as operating gain divided by operating revenue.

Elevance Health

Earnings Release Financial Schedules and Supplementary Information

Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2023

Membership and Other Metrics

Quarterly & Full-Year Consolidated Statements of Income

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

Supplemental Financial Information - Reportable Segments

Supplemental Financial Information - Reconciliation of Medical Claims Payable

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Financial Guidance Summary

REPORTABLE SEGMENTS

Elevance Health has four reportable segments: Health Benefits (comprised of Individual, Employer Group risk-based, Employer Group fee-based, BlueCard, Medicare, Medicaid, and Federal Health Products & Services businesses); CarelonRx; Carelon Services; and Corporate & Other (comprised of businesses that do not individually meet the quantitative thresholds for an operating division as well as corporate expenses not allocated to our other reportable segments).

GAAP Reconciliation

(Unaudited)

This document references non-GAAP measures, including "Adjusted Shareholders’ Net Income," "Adjusted Shareholders’ Net Income Per Share," "Adjusted EPS", "Adjusted Operating Gain", "Adjusted Operating Expense" and "Adjusted Operating Expense Ratio", which are non-GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures are intended to aid investors when comparing Elevance Health’s financial results among periods and are not intended to be alternatives to any measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable measures calculated in accordance with GAAP are available below. In addition to these non-GAAP measures, references are made to the measures "Operating Revenue" and "Operating Gain/Loss," "Operating Margin" and "Adjusted EPS". Operating revenue and operating gain/loss are the key measures used by management to evaluate performance in each of its reporting segments, allocate resources, set incentive compensation targets and to forecast future operating performance. Operating gain/loss is calculated as total operating revenue less benefit expense, cost of products sold and operating expense. It does not include net investment income, net gains/losses on financial instruments, interest expense, amortization of other intangible assets and gains/losses on extinguishment of debt or income taxes, as these items are managed in a corporate shared service environment and are not the responsibility of operating segment management. Each of these measures is provided to further aid investors in understanding and analyzing Elevance Health’s operating and financial results. A reconciliation of Operating Revenue to Total Revenue is set forth in the Consolidated Statements of Income herein. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, together with a reconciliation of reportable segments operating gain to income before income tax expense, is reported below. Prior amounts may be grouped differently to conform to current presentation.Net adjustment items per share may not sum due to rounding. A reconciliation of Operating Revenue to Total Revenue is set forth in the Consolidated Statements of Income herein.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect our views about future events and financial performance and are generally not historical facts. Words such as "expect," "feel," "believe," "will," "may," "should," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "project," "forecast," "plan" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to: financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions; statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, products and services; and statements regarding future performance. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof. You are also urged to carefully review and consider the various risks and other disclosures discussed in our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, which attempt to advise interested parties of the factors that affect our business. Except to the extent required by law, we do not update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: trends in healthcare costs and utilization rates; reduced enrollment; our ability to secure and implement sufficient premium rates; the impact of large scale medical emergencies, such as public health epidemics and pandemics, including COVID-19, and other catastrophes; the impact of new or changes in existing federal, state and international laws or regulations, including laws and regulations impacting healthcare, insurance, pharmacy services and other diversified products and services, or their enforcement or application; the impact of cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents or breaches or our failure to comply with any privacy, data or security laws or regulations, including any investigations, claims or litigation related thereto; information technology disruptions; changes in economic and market conditions, as well as regulations that may negatively affect our liquidity and investment portfolios; competitive pressures and our ability to adapt to changes in the industry and develop and implement strategic growth opportunities; risks and uncertainties regarding Medicare and Medicaid programs, including those related to non-compliance with the complex regulations imposed thereon; our ability to maintain and achieve improvement in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Star ratings and other quality scores and funding risks with respect to revenue received from participation therein; a negative change in our healthcare product mix; costs and other liabilities associated with litigation, government investigations, audits or reviews; our ability to contract with providers on cost-effective and competitive terms; failure to effectively maintain and modernize our information systems; risks associated with providing healthcare, pharmacy and other diversified products and services, including medical malpractice or professional liability claims and non-compliance by any party with the pharmacy services agreement between us and CaremarkPCS Health, L.L.C.; risks associated with mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances; possible impairment of the value of our intangible assets if future results do not adequately support goodwill and other intangible assets; possible restrictions in the payment of dividends from our subsidiaries and increases in required minimum levels of capital; our ability to repurchase shares of our common stock and pay dividends on our common stock due to the adequacy of our cash flow and earnings and other considerations; the potential negative effect from our substantial amount of outstanding indebtedness and the risk that increased interest rates or market volatility could impact our access to or further increase the cost of financing; a downgrade in our financial strength ratings; the effects of any negative publicity related to the health benefits industry in general or us in particular; events that may negatively affect our licenses with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association; intense competition to attract and retain employees; risks associated with our international operations; and various laws and provisions in our governing documents that may prevent or discourage takeovers and business combinations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240123349473/en/

Elevance Health Contacts: Investor Relations Stephen Tanal [email protected] Media Leslie Porras [email protected]

View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240403210479/en/

Investor Relations: Stephen Tanal [email protected]

M edia Relations: Leslie Porras [email protected]

Source: Elevance Health, Inc.

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Elevance Health Earnings: 2023 and 2024 Outlook Looks Solid Despite Emerging Headwinds

Narrow-moat Elevance Health ELV delivered solid near-term guidance, despite emerging headwinds in its government businesses. At first glance we plan to maintain our $520 fair value estimate or slightly above recent prices.

In the third quarter, Elevance turned in 7% revenue, 13% adjusted operating profit, and 21% adjusted EPS growth, including recent share repurchases at attractive prices. Despite the resumption of redetermination activities that reduced Medicaid membership by 3% year over year, overall membership was flat, including strong growth in the individual business (25%), decent growth in Medicare Advantage (5%), and flat commercial growth. Although Medicaid redeterminations may eventually create a membership mix shift from Medicaid to higher-margin employer-sponsored or individual plans, potential coverage gaps create a near-term headwind to profits.

Elevance expects to be able to absorb those and other near-term profit headwinds, though. For 2023, Elevance raised its outlook mildly on strong recent trends, including repurchases, and now expects at least $33 of adjusted EPS in 2023, up from at least $32.85 previously. Looking to 2024-25, headwinds are emerging in Elevance’s Medicare Advantage business with star ratings dropping to just 34% of enrollees in 4-star plans or above, down from 64% last year on weak survey results and tougher cutoffs, which may affect Medicare Advantage marketing in 2024 and bonus payments in 2025. However, management aims to use cost controls, such as those related to this quarter’s business optimization charge, and share repurchases to reach its typical 12% to 15% annual earnings growth goal in the next couple of years. Specifically, management said that adjusted EPS consensus of $37 for 2024 (about 12% growth) looks appropriate including those efforts. While we have mildly adjusted some of our near-term assumptions, our long-term expectations for Elevance have not changed materially and our fair value estimate remains intact.

The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar’s editorial policies .

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Why Elevance Health (ELV) is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again

Have you been searching for a stock that might be well-positioned to maintain its earnings-beat streak in its upcoming report? It is worth considering Elevance Health ( ELV Quick Quote ELV - Free Report ) , which belongs to the Zacks Medical Services industry.

When looking at the last two reports, this health insurer has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 3.83%, on average, in the last two quarters.

For the most recent quarter, Elevance Health was expected to post earnings of $5.55 per share, but it reported $5.62 per share instead, representing a surprise of 1.26%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $8.45 per share, while it actually produced $8.99 per share, a surprise of 6.39%.

For Elevance Health, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.

Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time . In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Elevance Health has an Earnings ESP of +0.74% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner.

Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric.

Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.

Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

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CVS, Humana and other health stocks are getting hit by lower than expected Medicare rates

Government payments to medicare insurance plans operated by private companies are effectively declining.

The stocks of several health insurance companies — including Humana, CVS Health, UnitedHealth and Elevance Health— took a hit during morning trading on Tuesday after federal regulators didn’t raise payments for Medicare plans above industry expectations.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday that government payments to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs — Medicare insurance plans operated by private companies — will increase on average by 3.7%, or $16 billion, year-over-year in 2025. Analysts view the rate increase as an effective decline of 0.16%, according to the Wall Street Journal .

“CMS continues to take steps to maintain the stability of the Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug programs,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement . She added that the new rates will “keep Medicare Advantage payments up-to-date and accurate.”

Stock in Humana, which is the nation’s second largest Medicare Advantage health insurer, was down 12% Tuesday morning.

UnitedHealth stock fell 6%, CVS Health shares slid 8%, Centene Corp. stock fell 5%, and Elevance Health stock dipped 4%.

The rate increase is the same as a rate proposal made in January. Over the past 10 years, final rates were not increased from their initial proposal only once, Bloomberg reports .

“If we saw no improvement in the final rate notice, that would be a meaningful difference obviously relative to what we expected,” Humana CFO Susan Diamond said during an investor call in March. She added that without a bigger increase it would be “challenging” for the company to reach its goal of boosting earnings by $6 to $10.

“I would argue definitely take the high end off the table,” she said.

More pharma news

The weight loss drug shortage is hitting Eli Lily’s Zepbound

Ozempic costs just $5 to make, a study said. The backlash was swift

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Bestiality references allegedly made during presentation at Renmark High School

Warning for readers: This article contains graphic language.

The South Australian Department for Education is investigating a presentation delivered to year 9 girls in a regional high school that allegedly referenced bestiality as being accepted by the LGBTQIA+ community.

Female students said teachers at Renmark High School told them to leave their lessons and attend a presentation in a separate classroom.

Students who attended the presentation on March 22 say two staff from the Headspace centre in the neighbouring town of Berri introduced a "third-party" presenter who facilitated an hour-long presentation focused on relationships.

Parents said they were not notified about the presentation, nor was it consented to.

Students said they were left unsupervised for the duration of the presentation.

Student Courtney White, 14, said she felt confused and blindsided by the presentation.

"We had a teacher that told us to grab a chair and sit in front of the board, and then the Headspace people came in and then [the teacher] left, so then we're sitting in front of a board alone with no teachers, just the Headspace people," she said.

"The first slide of the PowerPoint on the board was 'You can see queerly now' and 'No point hiding.'"

Girls felt 'really uncomfortable'

Fourteen-year-old Emelia Wundenberg said the presenter was graphic when referencing their own sexual preferences and spoke in sexually explicit terms about growing up and being confused about whether they idolised people of the same gender or wanted to be intimate with them.

Students say they were then given an explanation of the initialism LGBTQIA+, with each word and its meaning displayed on the screen.

"There was a slide for what the 'plus' means, and they just started randomly saying words that no-one knew, like bestiality," Emelia said.

"It was on the board when they were showing what the 'plus' meant."

The students said bestiality was then explained in detail and the presenter seemed to imply it was something practised by people who identified as LGBTQIA+.

"They said [the queer community] just accepts all of it, even though … isn't it illegal?" Emelia said.

As the talk went on multiple girls, including Courtney, began to feel uncomfortable and asked to leave the classroom to "go to the bathroom".

"We're all just sitting there like, 'What the hell? What are we doing here? Why are we learning about animals having sex with humans?'" she said.

"It was really disgusting, it was really uncomfortable."

Emelia said many of those who asked to leave the classroom did not return.

When the ABC sought comment from the presenter a response was sent on the person's behalf asking that reporters refrained from reaching out or naming them in its coverage.

'Normal procedure' not followed

Letters seen by the ABC that were sent to parents on behalf of Renmark High School principal Mat Evans stated that the presentation was meant to discuss "respectful relationships".

The letter acknowledged that the school's "normal procedure for notifying parents ahead of specific presentations was not followed".

Mr Evans said the third-party presenter had "been suspended from department schools while the department undertakes an investigation".

"We are undertaking an internal review to ensure that processes around such notifications and procedures with regard to third parties attending at our school are always met," he said.

The ABC contacted the Department for Education, which provided a similar statement and said the presentation was being investigated.

SA education department chief executive Martin Westwell said the presentation was "unacceptable" and "shouldn't have happened".

Speaking with ABC Radio Adelaide on Thursday, Professor Westwell said conversations about sexual health, societal norms, stereotypes and sexuality were normal parts of the Australian curriculum, but the presentation at Renmark High School was not.

"The core idea that students should understand sexuality and other sexualities is, I think, really important — but the way [the presenter] went about it was unacceptable," he said.

"The school has clearly made some mistakes.

"There should have been a teacher in the room when that occurred, but there wasn't and the principal has apologised for that.

"They hadn't reviewed the content.

"There was a few things that went wrong and it ended up with this inappropriate language and a few things being discussed in that session that were just not appropriate."

Support being provided to students

Headspace's national head of clinical leadership Nicola Palfrey said the organisation was aware of concerns raised by members of the Renmark community.

"We take all feedback very seriously and are reviewing how we can support and guide Headspace centres … to ensure presentations they facilitate or deliver are aligned with evidence and best practice and are safe and appropriate for young people," she said.

FocusOne Health Board chair Ian Gartley said the "focus at Headspace Berri, operated under licence by FocusOne Health, is on the mental health and wellbeing of young people".

"We are aware of concerns raised by local members of the Renmark community following a presentation delivered by a lived experience speaker that Headspace Berri facilitated at Renmark High School," he said.

"Our priority right now is ensuring that any young people and their families who may be experiencing distress receive the support they need."

All parties involved in the alleged incident declined to provide the presentation to the ABC.

Following the presentation, a follow-up letter seen by the ABC was sent to parents offering counselling services from the education department, which had arranged a social worker to attend the school to help support affected students.

Parents express shock and outrage

Parents of students who attended the presentation said it was a poor representation of the queer community and had raised many concerns about the school's protocols for third-party presentations.

"Who vetted this material? Who made sure it was safe for 14- and 15-year-old girls? Some of them are still 13," Emelia's mother Kristy Fyfe said.

"It has done a huge disservice to the [queer] community."

Following the presentation, Courtney's mother Nicki Gaylard removed her three children from Renmark High School. 

"My kids are in limbo," she said.

"They're not in an education department at this point.

"I'm not putting them anywhere until I know this won't happen again.

"Under no circumstances should a child in that school ever feel trapped and unsafe without someone with their certificate, meaning a teacher."

The ABC has spoken to five other parents whose children attended the presentation.

They substantiated the two girls' claims.

LGBTQIA+ educators condemn 'slur'

Sexuality educators and LGBTQIA+ inclusion advocates Mel Brush and Eleonora Bertsa-Fuchs conduct consent and queer inclusion training for schools, parents and workplaces via their social enterprise Let's Talk About X.

Both are secondary teachers and Mx Bertsa-Fuchs said queer education was important but should be delivered in a safe and appropriate setting.

"The teachers are the people that these young people have a relationship with, that they are familiar with, that they're comfortable with," Mx Bertsa-Fuchs said.

"When you're in a vulnerable situation, like a respectful relationships workshop or seminar, there should be someone in the room that you are familiar with."

Mx Brush said the alleged use of the word bestiality in the presentation was damaging to the queer community.

"It's pretty shocking to think about that term being thrown around like that, especially given how loaded it is, and for a historical context of the way that it's been used as a slur and to discriminate against LGBT+ people," Mx Brush said.

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Why Elevance Health (ELV) is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again

H ave you been searching for a stock that might be well-positioned to maintain its earnings-beat streak in its upcoming report? It is worth considering Elevance Health (ELV), which belongs to the Zacks Medical Services industry.

When looking at the last two reports, this health insurer has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 3.83%, on average, in the last two quarters.

For the most recent quarter, Elevance Health was expected to post earnings of $5.55 per share, but it reported $5.62 per share instead, representing a surprise of 1.26%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $8.45 per share, while it actually produced $8.99 per share, a surprise of 6.39%.

For Elevance Health, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.

Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Elevance Health has an Earnings ESP of +0.74% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner.

Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric.

Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.

Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

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World Health Day 2024: My health, my right

Researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) are involved in a wide range of projects to identify, monitor, and address inequalities related to cancer, including inequities in exposure to risk factors, access to screening and diagnostic services, and inclusion in cancer prevention programmes.

In a new video, Dr Salvatore Vaccarella, a scientist in the Cancer Surveillance Branch at IARC, presents results and insights from IARC’s research into inequities related to cancer. Recent findings indicate that significant differences in cancer incidence and mortality exist among socioeconomic groups both between and within countries. Dr Vaccarella and his colleagues are working to pinpoint the reasons these inequalities exist, to measure their extent, and to generate new ways to address them.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen “My health, my right” as the theme for World Health Day this year. This theme was chosen to highlight the rights of all people to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking-water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.

Watch the video

Read more about World Health Day on the WHO website  

Read more about Cancer Inequalities research at IARC  

Published in section: IARC News

Publication date: 5 April, 2024, 12:01

Direct link: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/world-health-day-2024-my-health-my-right/