Value Partners Investments Inc. Has $5.06 Million Holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Value Partners Investments Inc. trimmed its holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 90.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 112,728 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 1,082,548 shares during the quarter. CVS Health comprises approximately 2.8% of Value Partners Investments Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Value Partners Investments Inc.'s holdings in CVS Health were worth $5,056,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CVS. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in CVS Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in CVS Health by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 707 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its position in shares of CVS Health by 137.5% during the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 805 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CVS. Leerink Partnrs upgraded CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CVS Health in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $51.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Leerink Partners upgraded CVS Health from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Argus set a $77.00 target price on CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CVS Health has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.94.

CVS Health Price Performance

CVS stock traded up $1.45 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $64.23. 3,859,363 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,240,819. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.53. The company has a market cap of $81.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.60. CVS Health Co. has a one year low of $43.56 and a one year high of $72.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The pharmacy operator reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.63. CVS Health had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 1.24%. The company had revenue of $94.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $93.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 22nd. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.48%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total transaction of $498,487.55. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,941.90. This trade represents a 47.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CVS Health Profile

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.