Guggenheim Capital LLC Decreases Stake in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Guggenheim Capital LLC reduced its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 353,659 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 13,185 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in CVS Health were worth $15,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CVS. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 255.7% in the 4th 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 position in CVS Health during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in CVS Health during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Financial Perspectives Inc increased its stake in shares of CVS Health by 137.5% in the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 805 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in CVS Health by 112.1% in 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. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CVS Health Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of CVS Health stock traded down $1.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $67.19. 16,054,208 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,811,363. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $66.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.79. The firm has a market cap of $84.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. CVS Health Co. has a 52-week low of $43.56 and a 52-week high of $71.45.

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

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.96%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In other CVS Health news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total value of $498,487.55. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $556,941.90. This trade represents a 47.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $66.70 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 39,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. This represents a 320.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on CVS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on CVS Health from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Edward Jones upgraded shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus set a $77.00 price target on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on CVS Health from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $71.83.

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.