CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) Trading 1.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)’s stock price shot up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $52.48 and last traded at $52.55. 3,188,072 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 13,691,771 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CVS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of CVS Health from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of CVS Health from $75.00 to $71.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CVS Health presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.71.

CVS Health Trading Up 1.5 %

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $51.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.34. The firm has a market cap of $66.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.01. CVS Health had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 1.36%. The business had revenue of $95.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that CVS Health Co. will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.05%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 23rd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CVS Health

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in CVS Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,140,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in CVS Health by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 56,601 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $3,343,000 after purchasing an additional 8,261 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of CVS Health by 3.3% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,524,733 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $90,051,000 after purchasing an additional 48,903 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of CVS Health by 12.3% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 56,116 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $3,314,000 after buying an additional 6,151 shares during the period. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 255,435 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $15,086,000 after buying an additional 5,300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

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.