CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Shares Purchased by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC raised its holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 503.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,610 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after buying an additional 14,693 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $1,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. WealthShield Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 4,498 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in CVS Health by 0.8% in the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 19,225 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $1,410,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC boosted its position in shares of CVS Health by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 18,315 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,446,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 39,600 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $3,127,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in CVS Health by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 3,605 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Price Performance

CVS Health stock traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $61.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,204,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,593,842. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.52. CVS Health Co. has a fifty-two week low of $52.77 and a fifty-two week high of $83.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.81.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The pharmacy operator reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.38). CVS Health had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The company had revenue of $88.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that CVS Health Co. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 22nd will be issued a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 22nd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.75%.

Insider Activity

In other CVS Health news, Director Edward J. Ludwig bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $53.88 per share, for a total transaction of $53,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,165,424.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $101.00 to $86.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. SVB Leerink restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (down previously from $87.00) on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group downgraded CVS Health from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $85.00 to $60.00 in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on CVS Health from $86.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $61.00 target price on the stock. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CVS Health currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.05.

CVS Health Profile

CVS Health Corporation provides health solutions in the United States. It operates through Health Care Benefits, Health Services, and Pharmacy & Consumer Wellness segments. The Health Care Benefits segment offers traditional, voluntary, and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services.