CVS Health Corporation $CVS Stock: Wedmont Private Capital Boosts Stake

Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,342 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,707 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $2,600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in CVS Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,747,462,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of CVS Health by 26.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 74,927,064 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $7,751,205,000 after purchasing an additional 15,604,883 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 49.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,801,113 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $3,496,725,000 after buying an additional 11,233,381 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of CVS Health by 148.0% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 23,188,670 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $2,398,868,000 after buying an additional 13,836,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in CVS Health during the second quarter worth $1,217,558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of CVS Health from $108.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets set a $112.00 price target on CVS Health in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $112.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.24.

More CVS Health News

Here are the key news stories impacting CVS Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CVS said more than 69% of Aetna’s Medicare Advantage members are enrolled in plans rated four stars or higher for 2027. The company highlighted solid clinical quality, preventive care and member-experience performance. Aetna 2027 Star Ratings Reflect Strong Clinical Quality and Member Experience
• Positive Sentiment: CVS extended pharmaceutical distribution agreements with Cardinal Health and McKesson through 2032, supporting supply continuity for its retail pharmacies and other dispensing operations. CVS Health Extends Drug Distribution Deals
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to point to potential upside from recovering Aetna margins, improving pharmacy trends, growth in Health Services and CVS’s valuation discount versus peers. The company also opened a compact, pharmacy-focused location in the Boston area, supporting its retail strategy. CVS Trades at a Discount to Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders reportedly purchased a large volume of CVS call options, signaling speculative bullish interest but not guaranteeing sustained buying in the shares. Traders Buy CVS Call Options
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen said Aetna’s 2027 results were weaker than expected, with the portion of Medicare Advantage members in plans rated at least 4.5 stars projected to fall to about 35% from 63%. The decline could reduce quality-related bonus payments and put pressure on Aetna’s earnings and margins. CVS Star Ratings Weaker Than Expected
• Negative Sentiment: The ratings setback has made CVS an underperformer among managed-care stocks, while competitors with stronger Medicare Advantage scores received more favorable investor reactions. Persistent 340B pricing pressure remains an additional risk to the recovery story.

CVS Health Price Performance

Shares of CVS opened at $86.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.79, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average is $92.73 and its 200-day moving average is $92.37. CVS Health Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $69.51 and a fifty-two week high of $110.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.71. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 13.12%. The business had revenue of $106.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $100.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. CVS Health’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.100 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that CVS Health Corporation will post 8.02 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.6650 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 22nd. CVS Health’s payout ratio is currently 70.37%.

CVS Health Profile

CVS Health Corp. is an integrated health care company that provides pharmacy, insurance and health services primarily in the United States. Its operations are designed to connect consumers, health plans, health care providers and pharmacy services across multiple points of care.

The company’s major businesses include CVS Pharmacy retail locations, prescription fulfillment and consumer health products; CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit management business; and Aetna, which offers health insurance products and related services for employers, individuals, government programs and other organizations.