CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Shares Purchased by Claret Asset Management Corp

Claret Asset Management Corp boosted its position in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 301,743 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after purchasing an additional 28,500 shares during the quarter. CVS Health makes up approximately 2.1% of Claret Asset Management Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Claret Asset Management Corp's holdings in CVS Health were worth $13,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CVS. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of CVS Health by 255.7% during the fourth quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 626 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in CVS Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CVS Health in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its stake in shares of CVS Health by 137.5% during the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 805 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the period. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 112.1% during the fourth quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. now owns 827 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Argus set a $77.00 price target on shares of CVS Health in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $51.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised shares of CVS Health from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $55.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $71.83.

CVS Health Price Performance

CVS Health stock traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $65.68. The company had a trading volume of 3,584,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,279,332. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.60. CVS Health Co. has a 12-month low of $43.56 and a 12-month high of $71.45. The company has a market capitalization of $82.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $66.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.82.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.05%. CVS Health's payout ratio is 72.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total transaction of $498,487.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $556,941.90. The trade was a 47.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney acquired 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $66.70 per share, with a total value of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 39,356 shares of the company's stock, 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. Corporate insiders own 1.22% 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.