CVS Health Corporation $CVS is Polaris Capital Management LLC's 7th Largest Position

Key Points

• Polaris Capital Management trimmed its stake in CVS Health by 12.8% in Q4 to 525,300 shares (selling 77,300), leaving CVS as its 7th-largest holding at about $41.69 million (≈3.5% of the fund).
• Regulatory risk has risen after Tennessee passed a bill banning pharmacy ownership of PBMs — CVS says the law could force store closures and plans legal action, raising concerns about wider state-level contagion to retail and PBM economics.
• Analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $95.05 target; CVS recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.09 vs. $1.00), set FY2026 guidance of 5.94–6.14 EPS, and pays a $0.665 quarterly dividend (3.4% yield) despite a high payout ratio (~192.8%).

Polaris Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 525,300 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 77,300 shares during the period. CVS Health comprises about 3.5% of Polaris Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Polaris Capital Management LLC's holdings in CVS Health were worth $41,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in CVS Health by 3.1% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,999,622 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $301,532,000 after purchasing an additional 119,189 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 316.2% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 104,432 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $7,873,000 after buying an additional 79,340 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 257,204 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $19,391,000 after buying an additional 14,983 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 225,116 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $16,971,000 after buying an additional 22,653 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 149,902 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $11,301,000 after buying an additional 16,418 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CVS Health News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CVS Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aetna (a CVS Health company) reported measurable progress simplifying prior authorization, which should reduce administrative costs and speed care delivery—potentially improving medical cost trends and margins for the health-insurance segment. Aetna Announces Progress on Industry Leading Efforts to Simplify Prior Authorization
• Positive Sentiment: Major U.S. insurers (including Aetna and UnitedHealthcare) are coordinating to standardize electronic prior authorization — a structural change that could cut administrative friction across payors and providers, benefiting CVS’s insurance and PBM businesses over time. U.S. Health Insurers Step Up Prior Authorization Reforms
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS is pursuing packaging and sustainability changes (e.g., swapping foam and other supplier moves) that lower costs and environmental footprint, but these are incremental operational items unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. Packaging innovations: CVS Health swaps foam, PPG coats pet food cans
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market-coverage pieces note modest share weakness in the last session; this reflects a mix of sector moves and headline sensitivity rather than fresh company-specific fundamentals. CVS Health (CVS) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Tennessee passed a bill restricting pharmacies from owning PBMs; CVS warns the law could force many store closures and plans to sue—this represents direct state-level regulatory risk to retail pharmacy revenue and PBM economics. Legislation to ban pharmacies from owning PBMs heads to Gov. Lee's desk, CVS Health may close Tenn. locations
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets report CVS is preparing legal fights and warning of large-scale closures if similar PBM restrictions spread—heightening investor concern about regulatory contagion and potential earnings downside. CVS fights law that could force over 100 stores to close
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis of the Mass General Brigham–CVS primary care arrangement flags potential hidden access costs (~$40M) that could pressure the economics of CVS’s expanding primary care footprint. Mass General Brigham, CVS Primary Care Deal Could Have a $40M Hidden Cost of Access

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on CVS Health from $100.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Leerink Partners reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $98.00 price target on shares of CVS Health in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on CVS Health from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Bank of America cut their target price on CVS Health from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on CVS Health from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $95.05.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of CVS stock opened at $77.92 on Friday. CVS Health Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.35 and a 52-week high of $85.15. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $76.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.86 billion, a PE ratio of 56.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.09. CVS Health had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 0.44%.The company had revenue of $105.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $103.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.940-6.140 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CVS Health Corporation will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd will be issued a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 23rd. CVS Health's payout ratio is currently 192.75%.

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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