123,317 Shares in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 123,317 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock, valued at approximately $5,536,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of CVS Health by 255.7% in the fourth quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 626 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in CVS Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in CVS Health in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc raised 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 in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CVS Health

In other news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $556,941.90. This represents a 47.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney bought 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $66.70 per share, with a total value of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 39,356 shares in the company, valued at $2,625,045.20. This represents a 320.65 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of CVS Health from $62.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Edward Jones upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wolfe Research raised their price target on shares of CVS Health from 67.00 to 70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of CVS Health from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CVS Health currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.39.

CVS Health Price Performance

Shares of CVS Health stock opened at $67.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.34. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $43.56 and a 1-year high of $80.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.54.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.96%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. CVS Health’s payout ratio is 72.68%.

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.