554,974 CVS Health Corporation $CVS Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,467,318 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 554,974 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.19% of CVS Health worth $211,689,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CVS. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. increased its position in CVS Health by 256.6% during the third quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. now owns 322,035 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $27,631,000 after buying an additional 231,740 shares during the period. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management raised its stake in CVS Health by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 3,427 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. raised its stake in CVS Health by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,642 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in CVS Health by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 78,768 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $6,750,000 after acquiring an additional 10,199 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in CVS Health by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 27,787 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $2,381,000 after acquiring an additional 1,967 shares during the period. 80.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting CVS Health

Investors following CVS have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: CVS’s planned 2028 split could sharpen strategic focus and improve capital allocation, potentially unlocking value in its businesses. Wells Fargo kept an “overweight” rating and sees its $112 price target as implying upside, despite lowering the target from $123. Article: Can CVS Health's 2028 Split Unlock Value Despite Execution Risks?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s price-target cut signals more cautious valuation assumptions, though its continued overweight rating indicates the analyst remains positive on CVS. Article: Wells Fargo rating and price target
• Negative Sentiment: The split is not a guaranteed catalyst: coverage highlights separation costs and execution risks, while Aetna’s recovery and stronger pharmacy profits are weighed against PBM pressures and declining membership. Senator Elizabeth Warren has also criticized the plan, suggesting political scrutiny may continue. Article: Is CVS Stock Worth Buying as Aetna Recovers but PBM Risks Persist?

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In related news, EVP Prem Shah acquired 23,855 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $83.89 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,195.95. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 88,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,425,607.24. This trade represents a 36.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of CVS stock opened at $89.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $114.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.00. CVS Health Corporation has a 12-month low of $69.51 and a 12-month high of $110.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.44. CVS Health had a return on equity of 13.65% and a net margin of 2.62%. The firm had revenue of $108.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $104.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that CVS Health Corporation will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.6650 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 22nd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio is 30.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CVS Health in a report on Friday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $107.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of CVS Health from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $111.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of CVS Health from $118.00 to $107.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 5th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CVS Health presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $107.79.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a U.S.-based health care company that operates retail pharmacies, provides pharmacy benefit management services, and offers health insurance and other health services. Its businesses include CVS Pharmacy, pharmacy benefit manager CVS Caremark, and Aetna, its health benefits division. The company also provides care through MinuteClinic walk-in clinics and health care businesses including Oak Street Health and Signify Health. Its services span prescription fulfillment, pharmacy benefit management, health insurance, primary care, and in-home and community-based care.

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