Capital International Investors Boosts Stake in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Capital International Investors increased its position in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,666,401 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after buying an additional 1,212,126 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned 2.12% of CVS Health worth $1,196,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 4.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,434,476 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $90,200,000 after purchasing an additional 66,244 shares in the last quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee boosted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 25,484.4% in the 4th quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 11,513 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 11,468 shares during the last quarter. B&D White Capital Company LLC bought a new position in CVS Health during the fourth quarter valued at about $417,000. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC increased its holdings in CVS Health by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 7,302 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its position in CVS Health by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 569,527 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $25,566,000 after acquiring an additional 105,708 shares during the period. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CVS Health Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of CVS stock traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $65.82. The stock had a trading volume of 3,665,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,800,626. CVS Health Co. has a 12-month low of $43.56 and a 12-month high of $71.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's 50-day moving average is $66.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.77.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.11%. On average, analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. CVS Health's payout ratio is 72.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CVS. Barclays upped their price target on CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of CVS Health from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wolfe Research raised their price target on CVS Health from 67.00 to 70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CVS Health presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CVS Health news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total transaction of $498,487.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,941.90. This represents a 47.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $66.70 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.