Marshall Wace LLP Sells 771,264 Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its holdings in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 53.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 684,652 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 771,264 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.05% of CVS Health worth $30,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dodge & Cox grew its position in CVS Health by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 70,105,899 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $3,147,054,000 after acquiring an additional 7,075,209 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its position in shares of CVS Health by 3,329.0% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 342,903 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $15,393,000 after purchasing an additional 332,903 shares in the last quarter. M Holdings Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $489,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new stake in CVS Health in the fourth quarter valued at $759,000. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of CVS Health by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 9,501 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CVS Health Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of CVS traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $65.61. 2,291,601 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,804,802. The company has a market cap of $82.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.91, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm's 50 day moving average is $66.48 and its 200-day moving average is $58.82. 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 data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share (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, equities research analysts forecast that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. CVS Health's payout ratio is 72.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CVS has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on CVS Health from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group lowered their target price on CVS Health from $62.00 to $59.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CVS Health from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on CVS Health from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. 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. According to 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, with a total value of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 39,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. This trade represents a 320.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total transaction of $498,487.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at $556,941.90. The trade was 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.