CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) Rating Lowered to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Wall Street Zen reports.

CVS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Argus increased their target price on shares of CVS Health from $104.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Piper Sandler set a $112.00 target price on shares of CVS Health in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $108.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings cut CVS Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.80.

CVS Health Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of CVS Health stock opened at $94.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $91.70 and a 200-day moving average of $93.49. CVS Health has a 52-week low of $69.51 and a 52-week high of $110.68. The stock has a market cap of $121.21 billion, a PE ratio of 11.82, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.60.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $100.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. CVS Health’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CVS Health will post 8.02 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CVS Health

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in CVS Health by 41.8% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 356 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in CVS Health by 3.5% in the third quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,408 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC grew its position in shares of CVS Health by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 6,940 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $724,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Wellington Altus USA Inc. grew its position in shares of CVS Health by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of CVS Health by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,481 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More CVS Health News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Opportunity to gain pharmacy customers: CVS is targeting customers displaced by Walgreens and Rite Aid store closures. The initiative could support prescription volume, retail sales and customer retention if CVS successfully converts those patients. CVS targets former Walgreens, Rite Aid customers after 1,000 stores close
• Positive Sentiment: Aetna administrative improvements: CVS says Aetna is streamlining prior authorizations, approving more than 95% of eligible requests within 24 hours and expanding bundled approvals. Faster decisions could improve member and provider satisfaction while reducing administrative costs. How CVS’ Aetna Is Advancing Efforts to Reduce Administrative Burden
• Positive Sentiment: MinuteClinic expansion: Three new Massachusetts locations—including the first in Boston—expand CVS’s healthcare footprint and may increase patient traffic, service revenue and cross-selling opportunities. MinuteClinic opens three new retail medical clinics
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership transition: Chief Information Officer Amaresh Siva is leaving CVS to become Alaska Airlines’ chief information technology officer. The departure may create near-term technology and AI execution uncertainty, though it does not directly change CVS’s financial outlook. Alaska Airlines taps CVS Health executive for new technology role
• Negative Sentiment: Industry and valuation concerns: Coverage highlights pressure from rising medical costs across managed care, uncertainty surrounding Medicare Advantage plan availability and technical weakness after CVS raised its outlook. These issues could limit valuation expansion despite the company’s improved earnings guidance. Management raised the bar for CVS Health stock

CVS Health Company Profile

CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS) is a diversified health care company that provides pharmacy, insurance and health services in the United States. Its businesses serve consumers, employers, health plans and health care providers through pharmacies, benefit programs, insurance coverage and clinical care services.

The company’s Pharmacy Services segment, led by CVS Caremark, manages prescription drug benefits for employers, insurers and government programs. CVS Pharmacy operates retail pharmacies and health-focused stores that dispense prescriptions and offer over-the-counter products, health and wellness merchandise, immunizations and related services.