Howard Capital Management Inc. Purchases 1,653 Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,846 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,653 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $622,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CVS. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in CVS Health by 34.8% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 11,897,034 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $748,085,000 after buying an additional 3,071,613 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its position in shares of CVS Health by 7,567.7% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 2,402,901 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $107,866,000 after buying an additional 2,371,563 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in CVS Health by 3.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 56,527,909 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $3,554,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989,066 shares during the last quarter. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in CVS Health during the third quarter worth about $121,987,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 5,864.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,730,343 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $108,804,000 after purchasing an additional 1,701,331 shares during the period. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CVS Health Stock Down 0.8 %

CVS stock opened at $62.95 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $52.72 and a 200 day moving average of $56.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.61. CVS Health Co. has a 52 week low of $43.56 and a 52 week high of $80.75.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.11%. Sell-side analysts forecast that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 23rd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.23%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on CVS. StockNews.com raised shares of CVS Health from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on CVS Health from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of CVS Health from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on CVS Health from $72.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Four equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CVS Health presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CVS Health news, Director Michael F. Mahoney purchased 30,000 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $66.70 per share, with a total value of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 39,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,625,045.20. This trade represents a 320.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.