CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Shares Sold by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 59.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 29,593 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 42,895 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $1,328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CVS. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in CVS Health in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in CVS Health during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its position in CVS Health by 255.7% in the 4th quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 626 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CVS Health Stock Up 15.0 %

Shares of NYSE CVS opened at $63.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $79.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.80. CVS Health Co. has a 1 year low of $43.56 and a 1 year high of $80.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $50.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.92.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 1.36%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CVS Health Co. will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 23rd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.21%. CVS Health’s payout ratio is 67.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Edward Jones raised CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of CVS Health from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded CVS Health from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on CVS Health from 67.00 to 70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their price target on CVS Health from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CVS Health has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.78.

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.