IFP Advisors Inc Buys 10,222 Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 91.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,413 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after purchasing an additional 10,222 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in CVS Health were worth $961,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in CVS Health during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in CVS Health in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of CVS Health in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on CVS. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on CVS Health from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CVS Health has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In other news, Director Michael F. Mahoney bought 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were bought 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 owns 39,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. This trade represents a 320.65 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

CVS Health Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:CVS traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $64.82. 4,909,371 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,336,773. The company's 50 day moving average is $54.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.47. The company has a market capitalization of $81.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.61. CVS Health Co. has a twelve month low of $43.56 and a twelve month high of $80.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

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

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 23rd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.10%. CVS Health's payout ratio is presently 72.68%.

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.