CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) Upgraded at Sanford C. Bernstein

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded CVS from "market perform" to "outperform" and set a $94 target, implying roughly a 24% upside from the prior close.
• Multiple brokerages also raised targets or ratings (Piper Sandler $101, Mizuho $95, Morgan Stanley $93, Robert W. Baird $92, Truist $100), leaving a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $95.05 (20 Buys, 3 Holds).
• CVS beat Q results with $1.09 EPS (vs. $1.00 expected) and $105.69B revenue (vs. $103.67B), issued FY2026 guidance of $5.94–$6.14 EPS, and trades with a market cap of about $96.4B and a 1-year range of $58.35–$85.15.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $94.00 target price on the pharmacy operator's stock. Sanford C. Bernstein's target price indicates a potential upside of 24.12% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $101.00 price objective (up from $99.00) on shares of CVS Health in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Mizuho upped their target price on CVS Health from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on CVS Health from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $82.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $100.00 target price on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, CVS Health currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.05.

CVS Health Stock Down 0.8%

CVS Health stock opened at $75.74 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. CVS Health has a 1-year low of $58.35 and a 1-year high of $85.15. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $78.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.72. The company has a market capitalization of $96.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.49.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.09. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.44% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The firm had revenue of $105.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $103.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.940-6.140 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that CVS Health will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CVS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,666,265,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in CVS Health by 193.2% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,564,392 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $1,473,270,000 after acquiring an additional 12,233,675 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in CVS Health by 95.3% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,453,980 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $572,665,000 after acquiring an additional 3,637,943 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of CVS Health by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 23,532,479 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $1,623,270,000 after acquiring an additional 3,118,626 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 24.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,469,250 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $864,667,000 after purchasing an additional 2,253,531 shares in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CVS Health Company Profile

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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