CVS Health Corporation $CVS Stake Lessened by Applied Finance Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Applied Finance Capital Management reduced its CVS Health stake by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 28,496 shares and leaving it with 155,748 shares worth about $12.36 million.
• CVS posted strong Q1 2026 results, beating estimates on both revenue and adjusted EPS, which has helped fuel optimism around the stock.
• Analyst sentiment has improved, with firms like Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, DA Davidson, and Argus raising targets or outlooks; CVS now has a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a $98.08 price target.

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 155,748 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 28,496 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC's holdings in CVS Health were worth $12,360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. National Pension Service lifted its position in CVS Health by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,999,622 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $301,532,000 after acquiring an additional 119,189 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in CVS Health by 316.2% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 104,432 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $7,873,000 after acquiring an additional 79,340 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in CVS Health by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 257,204 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $19,391,000 after acquiring an additional 14,983 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in CVS Health by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 225,116 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $16,971,000 after acquiring an additional 22,653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in CVS Health by 186.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 396,368 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $30,568,000 after acquiring an additional 258,050 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company's stock.

CVS Health News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on CVS Health and kept an overweight rating, signaling confidence in further upside after the company’s stronger-than-expected quarterly results. Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for CVS Health NYSE: CVS Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Argus also lifted its outlook for CVS Health, adding to the wave of analyst support that may be helping shares move higher. Argus Issues Positive Forecast for CVS Health NYSE: CVS Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: CVS reported solid Q1 2026 earnings recently, beating estimates on both revenue and adjusted EPS, which continues to drive investor optimism about execution and valuation. Here is Why CVS Health (CVS) is One of the Cheap Stocks to Buy For the Next 10 Years
• Positive Sentiment: CVS and WGU launched an online pre-pharmacy degree program to help build a stronger pharmacist pipeline, a move that could support long-term staffing and service growth. CVS Health® and WGU launch online pre-pharmacy degree program for future pharmacists nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS advanced its portfolio reset by selling Omnicare after bankruptcy court approval, which simplifies the business and removes an underperforming unit, but also confirms ongoing restructuring. CVS Refocuses On Core Health Platform With Omnicare Sale And Drone Rollout
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS also highlighted community and brand-building initiatives in Rhode Island, including its economic impact report and expanded WIC acceptance, which are positive for reputation but less likely to move the stock on their own. CVS Health’s Annual Impact in Rhode Island

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CVS Health news, EVP Tilak Mandadi sold 69,551 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.58, for a total value of $6,230,378.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $907,714.14. This represents a 87.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CVS has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $93.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.08.

CVS Health Stock Down 1.2%

CVS Health stock opened at $95.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $122.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. CVS Health Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.50 and a twelve month high of $98.43. The company's 50-day moving average price is $78.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.59.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $100.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $94.99 billion. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.300-7.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that CVS Health Corporation will post 7.44 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd were issued a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 23rd. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio is currently 117.18%.

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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