Mizuho Securities USA LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 46.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,269 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,696 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $5,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of CVS Health during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its position in CVS Health by 255.7% during the fourth quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 626 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of CVS Health in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of CVS Health stock opened at $67.22 on Friday. CVS Health Co. has a 1 year low of $43.56 and a 1 year high of $80.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $84.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $60.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.35.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.11%. As a group, research analysts expect that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In other news, Director Michael F. Mahoney bought 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $66.70 per share, with a total value of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 39,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. The trade was a 320.65 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total transaction of $498,487.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at $556,941.90. This represents a 47.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CVS. Barclays raised their price objective on CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of CVS Health from 67.00 to 70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of CVS Health from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Argus set a $77.00 price target on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.39.

CVS Health Company 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.