CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $75.27.

CVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of CVS Health from $51.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Monday, May 5th.

CVS Health Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of CVS stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $62.72. 10,632,833 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,269,333. CVS Health has a 1 year low of $43.56 and a 1 year high of $72.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $65.67 and a 200 day moving average of $59.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $79.34 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.60.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The pharmacy operator reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.63. The firm had revenue of $94.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $93.07 billion. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.11%. CVS Health's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. Analysts expect that CVS Health will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.24%. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Insider Transactions at CVS Health

In related news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total value 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 approximately $556,941.90. This represents a 47.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its position in CVS Health by 119.8% in the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 455 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in CVS Health in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Costello Asset Management INC raised its position in shares of CVS Health by 281.3% during the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 572 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the period. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the first quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.