CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) Given Neutral Rating at Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated their neutral rating on shares of CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) in a report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $58.00 price objective on the pharmacy operator’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lowered shares of CVS Health from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $99.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $78.00 to $63.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of CVS Health from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Argus dropped their price target on shares of CVS Health from $100.00 to $80.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of CVS Health from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CVS Health presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $75.05.

CVS Health Stock Down 1.3 %

CVS stock opened at $60.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.92. CVS Health has a 52-week low of $52.77 and a 52-week high of $83.25.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The pharmacy operator reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $88.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.33 billion. CVS Health had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CVS Health will post 7.02 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were issued a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 19th. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In related news, Director Edward J. Ludwig purchased 1,000 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $53.88 per share, with a total value of $53,880.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 21,630 shares in the company, valued at $1,165,424.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its position in shares of CVS Health by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,859 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of CVS Health by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 3,378 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC now owns 3,612 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 3.2% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,639 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CVS Health

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.