CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $94.8182.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 price objective (up previously from $99.00) on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on CVS Health from $82.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of CVS Health from $75.00 to $90.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CVS Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st.

CVS Health Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of CVS stock opened at $74.14 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 195.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.48. CVS Health has a fifty-two week low of $53.36 and a fifty-two week high of $85.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $102.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.85 billion. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.12% and a return on equity of 11.45%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CVS Health will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 22nd will be issued a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 22nd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 700.00%.

Key CVS Health News

Here are the key news stories impacting CVS Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CVS shares rose while the broader market fell, reflecting short-term buying interest and risk-on flows. Zacks Article
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~13.4% in January to ~18.76M shares (1.5% of float), lowering potential downward pressure from short sellers and reducing squeeze risk (days-to-cover ~2.5). Short Interest Data
• Positive Sentiment: An executive vice president disclosed a small open-market buy (24 shares at ~$53.70 on Jan. 23), a modest insider signal of confidence. SEC Form 4
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Argus cut their price target slightly from $91 to $90 but kept a “buy” rating (still showing material upside), signaling continued analyst support despite the trim. The Fly
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America lowered its target from $100 to $95 but maintained a “buy” stance, also implying continued conviction in longer-term upside despite near-term adjustments. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: The administration’s proposal to keep Medicare rates roughly flat has pressured Medicare-related revenue expectations for payers and pharmacy benefit managers, contributing to earlier selloffs and ongoing margin concerns for CVS. Barron’s
• Negative Sentiment: A House Judiciary report and related coverage allege CVS used tactics to limit competition from rival pharmacy hubs, introducing regulatory and legal risk that could increase compliance costs or fines. HealthcareDive

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the second quarter worth $1,358,698,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in CVS Health by 391.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,330,717 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $477,273,000 after purchasing an additional 5,042,816 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of CVS Health by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,453,980 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $572,665,000 after purchasing an additional 3,637,943 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 23,532,479 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $1,623,270,000 after buying an additional 3,118,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of CVS Health by 815.2% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,663,111 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $183,701,000 after buying an additional 2,372,121 shares in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CVS Health

CVS Health Corporation is a diversified healthcare company that operates a large network of retail pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management services and health care solutions. Headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the company traces its roots to the early 1960s and has grown into an integrated provider of prescription drugs, over‑the‑counter products, clinical services and health insurance offerings. Its operating model combines retail pharmacy locations and in‑store clinics with broader pharmacy and health plan capabilities.

Key business activities include CVS Pharmacy retail operations, MinuteClinic walk‑in medical clinics and HealthHUB locations that offer expanded clinical services.