First Trust Advisors LP Increases Stock Holdings in CVS Health Corporation $CVS

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) by 4.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,344,647 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after buying an additional 93,502 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $168,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of CVS Health by 407.2% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 350 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new position in CVS Health in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in CVS Health in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC boosted its position in CVS Health by 344.8% during the 1st quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 387 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CVS Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about CVS Health

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

• Positive Sentiment: CVS is expanding its pharmacy offering to include select pet prescriptions nationwide, a move that could drive incremental foot traffic and sales. Pet medications now available at CVS Pharmacy®
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary noted improving execution and a better payer margin outlook, which can reinforce confidence in CVS’s earnings trajectory. CVS Health Corporation (CVS) Rose on Improving Execution and Payer Margin Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS also highlighted ongoing community health investments in Massachusetts, underscoring its broader social and healthcare footprint, though the immediate stock impact appears limited. CVS Health Helping to Strengthen Communities Across Massachusetts
• Negative Sentiment: Henry Ford Health’s lawsuit alleging a 340B pricing scheme creates legal and reimbursement uncertainty, which could pressure sentiment around CVS’s pharmacy operations. Henry Ford Health sues CVS over alleged $29 million pricing scheme

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of CVS stock opened at $107.96 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $137.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.87. CVS Health Corporation has a one year low of $58.50 and a one year high of $110.68. The company’s 50-day moving average is $99.78 and its 200 day moving average is $85.78.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.36. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business had revenue of $100.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.300-7.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CVS Health Corporation will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is 117.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CVS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on CVS Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on CVS Health from $106.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on CVS Health from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of CVS Health from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CVS Health presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In other news, Director Larry Robbins sold 370,462 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total transaction of $34,619,673.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,824,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $450,877,466.55. This represents a 7.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tilak Mandadi sold 69,551 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.58, for a total value of $6,230,378.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,133 shares in the company, valued at $907,714.14. This trade represents a 87.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,441,551 shares of company stock worth $323,703,977. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Profile

CVS Health Corporation is a diversified healthcare company that operates a large network of retail pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management services and health care solutions. Headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the company traces its roots to the early 1960s and has grown into an integrated provider of prescription drugs, over?the?counter products, clinical services and health insurance offerings. Its operating model combines retail pharmacy locations and in?store clinics with broader pharmacy and health plan capabilities.

Key business activities include CVS Pharmacy retail operations, MinuteClinic walk?in medical clinics and HealthHUB locations that offer expanded clinical services.