CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts broadly favor CVS Health: Twenty-two of 24 covering firms rate the stock a “buy,” producing an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation and a $106.75 12-month price target.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: CVS reported $2.58 in EPS versus the $1.87 consensus estimate and $106.1 billion in revenue, up 7.3% year over year. Management provided fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $7.90–$8.10.
• CVS maintains a 2.7% dividend yield: The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.665, or $2.66 annually, although insiders have sold substantial shares over the past 90 days.

Shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $106.75.

CVS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CVS Health from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of CVS Health from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays raised their target price on CVS Health from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on CVS Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CVS opened at $97.09 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.61. CVS Health has a one year low of $67.42 and a one year high of $110.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.71. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 13.12%. The firm had revenue of $106.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $100.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.100 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CVS Health will post 8.02 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were paid a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. CVS Health's payout ratio is currently 70.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Larry Robbins sold 370,462 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total transaction of $34,619,673.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,824,799 shares in the company, valued at $450,877,466.55. This trade represents a 7.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,372,000 shares of company stock worth $317,473,598. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CVS. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in CVS Health by 17.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 905,715 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $62,474,000 after purchasing an additional 134,535 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 1.2% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,121,377 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $77,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,329 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in shares of CVS Health by 1.3% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 585,073 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $40,358,000 after buying an additional 7,588 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 25.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,063 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $1,039,000 after buying an additional 3,011 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in CVS Health by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,609,404 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $111,017,000 after buying an additional 119,439 shares in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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