Alright, imagine you're playing with your favorite toy. You really want to keep it safe and maybe even make it grow or change in a cool way. This is similar to what people do when they buy stocks in a company.

1. **Stocks**: Think of them as tiny pieces of a big company. When you buy stocks, you're actually buying some small part of that company. It's like sharing the toy with many other kids, but everyone still wants it to do well because then their little piece becomes more valuable.

2. **Options**: Now, imagine there are two ways your toy can change:
- **Call Option**: This is like saying, "I think my toy will become even cooler in the future!" So you pay a small amount of money called a 'premium' to have the right, but not the obligation, to buy your toy back later for today's price. If your toy really does get cooler (the stock price goes up), then you can make a profit by selling it for more than what you might have bought it for later.
- **Put Option**: This is like saying, "What if something bad happens and my toy suddenly loses some of its cool features?" You pay that small 'premium' again, but this time, you're hoping the stock price will drop. Then, if something unfortunate does happen (the stock price goes down), your put option lets you sell your little piece back for today's higher price.

In both cases, you can make money if you guessed right about what would happen to the toy's coolness, but you also lose that small 'premium' if nothing exciting happens. It's like a friendly bet with the company!

So, in simple terms, options are just different ways for people to predict and maybe profit from changes in a stock's value. Read from source...

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**Benzinga Options Update:**

- **Ticker:** ELV
- **Stock Price:** $396.22, +3.95%
- **Overview Rating:** Good, 62.5%
- **Technicals Analysis:** 66/100
- **Financials Analysis:** 60/100

**Options Activity:**

- The Benzinga Edge Unusual Options board suggests monitoring smart money moves for ELV options.

**Summary:**

- **Stock:** Elevance Health Inc (ELV)
- **Price:** $396.22
- **Change:** +3.95% (Today)
- **Rating:** Good (62.5%)
- **Risk Score:** 60/100

**Technicals Analysis:**
- ELV is currently trading at a support level, indicating potential buying opportunities.
- The stock's volume has been increasing, suggesting strong interest from investors.
- ELV's moving averages are bullish, with the 20-day MA above the 50-day and 100-day MAs.

**Financials Analysis:**
- Elevance Health's earnings growth has been consistent over the past years, with a CAGR of around 9%.
- The company maintains strong balance sheet indicators, such as a debt-to-equity ratio below 1 and a current ratio above 1.5.
- ELV's operating margin and return on assets (ROA) have demonstrated improvement over time.

**Analyst Ratings:**
- Out of the analysts covering ELV, 60% maintain a 'Buy' or 'Strong Buy' rating, while 40% recommend holding onto the stock.
- The average price target is around $425, suggesting potential upside of approximately 7%.

**Options:**
- Put/Call ratio: 0.65 (This indicates slightly higher interest in call options, implying bullish sentiment.)
- Most active strikes: $380 (Put) and $410 (Call)
- Average daily volume: Around 2,500 contracts

** Risks and Recommendations:**
- **Upside:** Continuation of organic growth, successful integration of recent acquisitions, and positive regulatory environments could drive ELV's stock price higher.
- **Downside:** Regulatory headwinds, slowdown in customer acquisition/growth, or a global economic downturn impacting healthcare spending could pressure the stock.
- **Recommendation:** Consider a neutral to slightly bullish outlook on ELV with a focus on risk management. Keep an eye on upcoming earnings releases and regulatory developments.

**Sources:**
- Benzinga (Options, Analyst Ratings)
- Yahoo Finance (Stock Performance, Financials)
- Seeking Alpha (Analyst Ratings)
- Interactive Brokers (Technicals, Options)