Leerink Partnrs Boosts Earnings Estimates for CVS Health

CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs increased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of CVS Health in a research report issued on Thursday, October 16th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now anticipates that the pharmacy operator will post earnings per share of $7.28 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $7.24. The consensus estimate for CVS Health's current full-year earnings is $5.89 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for CVS Health's FY2027 earnings at $8.37 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.50 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their price objective on CVS Health from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of CVS Health in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised CVS Health from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $81.05.

CVS Health Price Performance

Shares of CVS stock opened at $81.40 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $73.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. CVS Health has a 12 month low of $43.56 and a 12 month high of $81.93. The company has a market capitalization of $103.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.60.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The pharmacy operator reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.35. CVS Health had a return on equity of 10.51% and a net margin of 1.17%.The company had revenue of $98.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.83 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. CVS Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 23rd. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total transaction of $532,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 22,156 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,573,519.12. This trade represents a 25.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in CVS Health by 503.8% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,896,341 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $128,477,000 after buying an additional 1,582,257 shares during the last quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 1.6% during the second quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 409,735 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $28,264,000 after acquiring an additional 6,615 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 25.0% during the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 648,266 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $43,920,000 after acquiring an additional 129,535 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 2.1% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,981,262 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $608,481,000 after acquiring an additional 183,813 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 20.1% in the first quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 3,421,519 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $231,808,000 after purchasing an additional 572,533 shares in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About CVS Health

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.

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