CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $75.07.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of CVS Health from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of CVS Health from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of CVS Health in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (up from $76.00) on shares of CVS Health in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

CVS Health Stock Performance

NYSE CVS traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $66.69. 11,828,346 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,923,499. The company has a market cap of $84.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.56. CVS Health has a 12-month low of $43.56 and a 12-month high of $72.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.92 and a 200 day moving average of $60.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The pharmacy operator reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.63. The firm had revenue of $94.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $93.07 billion. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.39% and a return on equity of 10.59%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CVS Health will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at CVS Health

In other CVS Health news, Director Guy P. Sansone acquired 1,570 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $63.70 per share, with a total value of $100,009.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,845.90. This trade represents a 15.04% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in CVS Health by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 20,705 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $1,403,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in CVS Health by 33.7% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 682 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in CVS Health by 32.6% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 707 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its stake in CVS Health by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 17,114 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $1,159,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in CVS Health by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,930 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. 80.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.