Leerink Partnrs Boosts Earnings Estimates for CVS Health

CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) – Stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs raised their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for CVS Health in a research note issued on Thursday, October 16th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now anticipates that the pharmacy operator will earn $7.28 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $7.24. The consensus estimate for CVS Health’s current full-year earnings is $5.89 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for CVS Health’s FY2027 earnings at $8.37 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.50 EPS.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The pharmacy operator reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.35. CVS Health had a return on equity of 10.51% and a net margin of 1.17%.The company had revenue of $98.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. CVS Health’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. CVS Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on CVS. Zacks Research cut CVS Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Mizuho increased their target price on CVS Health from $76.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on CVS Health from $80.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CVS Health has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.57.

CVS Health Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:CVS opened at $82.64 on Friday. CVS Health has a 52-week low of $43.56 and a 52-week high of $82.88. The stock has a market cap of $104.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50 day moving average is $74.00 and its 200 day moving average is $68.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 23rd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.30%.

Insider Activity at CVS Health

In other news, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total transaction of $532,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,156 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,573,519.12. This represents a 25.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Symmetry Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 5,826 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in CVS Health by 72.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in CVS Health by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,219 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust raised its stake in CVS Health by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 9,576 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $661,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in CVS Health by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,736 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. 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.