CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Shares Purchased by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 13.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 110,200 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after acquiring an additional 13,040 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in CVS Health were worth $4,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in CVS Health by 3.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 56,527,909 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $3,554,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989,066 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of CVS Health by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,361,673 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $1,651,997,000 after buying an additional 461,569 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in CVS Health by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 13,135,308 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $825,948,000 after acquiring an additional 198,920 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in CVS Health by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,918,949 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $579,932,000 after acquiring an additional 710,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its position in CVS Health by 34.8% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 11,897,034 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $748,085,000 after acquiring an additional 3,071,613 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.66% of the company's stock.

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CVS Health Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of CVS traded up $1.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $66.34. 10,082,148 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,965,158. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $56.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.75. The company has a market cap of $83.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.54. CVS Health Co. has a 1-year low of $43.56 and a 1-year high of $80.75. 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 (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 1.24%. Research analysts expect that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 23rd. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the business'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. The trade was a 47.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney bought 30,000 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $66.70 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 39,356 shares in the company, valued at $2,625,045.20. The trade was a 320.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CVS shares. Argus set a $77.00 price objective on CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Cowen raised their price target on CVS Health from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com raised CVS Health from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Edward Jones upgraded shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.83.

CVS Health Company Profile

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.