CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Stake Boosted by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. increased its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,346 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $1,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in CVS Health in the third quarter worth $371,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in CVS Health by 5.0% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,635 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $2,115,000 after buying an additional 1,608 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in CVS Health in the third quarter worth $816,000. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd increased its position in CVS Health by 10.9% in the third quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 17,760 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,048,000 after buying an additional 1,745 shares during the period. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in CVS Health by 7.7% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,078 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $759,000 after buying an additional 865 shares during the period. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total value of $498,487.55. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,941.90. The trade was a 47.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney bought 30,000 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $66.70 per share, with a total value of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 39,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. The trade was a 320.65 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CVS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on CVS Health from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on CVS Health from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Truist Financial raised their price target on CVS Health from $60.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised CVS Health from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on CVS Health from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CVS Health has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.83.

CVS Health Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE CVS opened at $64.88 on Thursday. CVS Health Co. has a one year low of $43.56 and a one year high of $80.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.73, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $57.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.87.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 1.24%. As a group, analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 23rd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.68%.

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.