Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 924,679 Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its position in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 43.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,194,577 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 924,679 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of CVS Health worth $53,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Perspectives Inc increased its position in shares of CVS Health by 137.5% in the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 805 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in CVS Health by 112.1% during the fourth quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. now owns 827 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.66% of the company's stock.

CVS Health Price Performance

CVS Health stock traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $65.58. 10,832,978 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,842,121. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.77. The company has a market cap of $82.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $43.56 and a twelve month high of $71.45.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts expect that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. CVS Health's payout ratio is 72.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on CVS. StockNews.com raised CVS Health from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $51.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of CVS Health from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.83.

Insider Activity at CVS Health

In related news, Director Michael F. Mahoney acquired 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $66.70 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 39,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. This trade represents a 320.65 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at $556,941.90. This trade represents a 47.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CVS Health 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.