Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Boosts Stake in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,545 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $2,298,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CVS Health in the third quarter worth $25,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in CVS Health during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CVS Health during the first quarter valued at $40,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in CVS Health during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in CVS Health during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:CVS opened at $56.83 on Thursday. CVS Health Co. has a 1 year low of $52.71 and a 1 year high of $83.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.52 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.55. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st were paid a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 21st. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on CVS Health from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays reduced their price objective on CVS Health from $75.00 to $71.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com cut CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on CVS Health from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.28.

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.