CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on CVS. Piper Sandler set a $112.00 price target on CVS Health in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $107.00 price objective on CVS Health in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on CVS Health from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings cut CVS Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on CVS Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.80.

CVS Health Stock Down 0.2%

CVS Health stock opened at $87.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.87. CVS Health has a one year low of $69.51 and a one year high of $110.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $92.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.60.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $106.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $100.03 billion. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 13.12%. CVS Health’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that CVS Health will post 8.02 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 22nd will be given a $0.6650 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 22nd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. CVS Health’s payout ratio is 70.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CVS Health

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CVS. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in CVS Health by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,089,694 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $112,729,000 after purchasing an additional 496,124 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 105.2% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 49,971 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $5,154,000 after purchasing an additional 25,617 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of CVS Health in the second quarter valued at about $209,813,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health during the second quarter worth about $49,622,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of CVS Health by 13.7% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,228,069 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $87,459,000 after buying an additional 147,827 shares during the period. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about CVS Health

Here are the key news stories impacting CVS Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aetna reported that more than 69% of its Medicare Advantage members are enrolled in plans rated four stars or higher for 2027. Strong CMS Star Ratings can support member retention, enrollment growth and potential quality-related revenue. Aetna 2027 Star Ratings Reflect Strong Clinical Quality and Member Experience
• Positive Sentiment: McKesson reached an agreement in principle to extend its pharmaceutical distribution partnership with CVS through June 2032, supporting continuity across CVS’s retail, mail-order, specialty and distribution operations. McKesson Extends CVS Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Leerink Partners lowered its CVS price target to $112 from $119 but maintained an “outperform” rating, indicating continued confidence in the long-term opportunity while reflecting more cautious assumptions. CVS Health Price Target Cut by Leerink Partners
• Negative Sentiment: CVS Pharmacy and related entities agreed to pay $315 million to resolve a U.S. Justice Department case alleging that the company improperly filled controlled-substance prescriptions and fraudulently billed federal healthcare programs over a 12-year period. CVS reportedly denied wrongdoing and did not admit liability, but the settlement creates a substantial near-term cost and renews regulatory and compliance concerns. The agreement also includes enhanced oversight of controlled-substance dispensing. CVS Agrees to $315 Million DOJ Opioid Prescription Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Healthcare stocks broadly weakened late in the session, adding sector-level pressure to CVS alongside the company-specific settlement news. Healthcare Stocks Fall Late Afternoon

CVS Health Company Profile

CVS Health Corp. is an integrated health care company that provides pharmacy, insurance and health services primarily in the United States. Its operations are designed to connect consumers, health plans, health care providers and pharmacy services across multiple points of care.

The company’s major businesses include CVS Pharmacy retail locations, prescription fulfillment and consumer health products; CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit management business; and Aetna, which offers health insurance products and related services for employers, individuals, government programs and other organizations.