CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $100.68.

CVS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of CVS Health from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on CVS Health from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on CVS Health from $101.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In related news, EVP Tilak Mandadi sold 69,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.58, for a total value of $6,230,378.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $907,714.14. This trade represents a 87.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Larry Robbins sold 370,462 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total transaction of $34,619,673.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,824,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $450,877,466.55. The trade was a 7.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,441,551 shares of company stock worth $323,703,977. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CVS Health

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CVS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CVS Health during the 4th quarter valued at $1,666,265,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in CVS Health by 193.2% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,564,392 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $1,473,270,000 after buying an additional 12,233,675 shares during the period. Amundi raised its stake in CVS Health by 95.3% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 7,453,980 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $572,665,000 after buying an additional 3,637,943 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 24.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,469,250 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $864,667,000 after acquiring an additional 2,253,531 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of CVS Health by 70.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,294,134 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $399,125,000 after acquiring an additional 2,188,307 shares in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CVS Health Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:CVS opened at $97.72 on Wednesday. CVS Health has a 1-year low of $58.50 and a 1-year high of $98.43. The company has a market capitalization of $124.68 billion, a PE ratio of 42.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $85.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.36. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business had revenue of $100.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. CVS Health’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.300-7.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that CVS Health will post 7.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 23rd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 117.18%.

CVS Health Company Profile

CVS Health Corporation is a diversified healthcare company that operates a large network of retail pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management services and health care solutions. Headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the company traces its roots to the early 1960s and has grown into an integrated provider of prescription drugs, over?the?counter products, clinical services and health insurance offerings. Its operating model combines retail pharmacy locations and in?store clinics with broader pharmacy and health plan capabilities.

Key business activities include CVS Pharmacy retail operations, MinuteClinic walk?in medical clinics and HealthHUB locations that offer expanded clinical services.