CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Zacks Research

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on CVS. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Baird R W raised shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CVS Health currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.89.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of CVS stock opened at $71.71 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $90.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.80. CVS Health has a 52 week low of $43.56 and a 52 week high of $74.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.09.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The pharmacy operator reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.35. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.17% and a return on equity of 10.51%. The company had revenue of $98.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. CVS Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. CVS Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CVS Health will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In other CVS Health news, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total transaction of $532,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 22,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,573,519.12. This represents a 25.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CVS Health

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CVS. Avion Wealth lifted its position in shares of CVS Health by 99.0% during the 2nd quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 380 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of CVS Health by 119.8% in the 1st quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 455 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of CVS Health by 436.5% in the 2nd quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 456 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of CVS Health by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 707 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% 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.