O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 6,432 Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,098 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 6,432 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in CVS Health were worth $2,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CVS. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,369,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in CVS Health by 548.2% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,837 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $2,254,000 after buying an additional 30,308 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in CVS Health by 370.6% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 760,903 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $47,825,000 after buying an additional 599,200 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health during the 3rd quarter worth about $7,233,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its holdings in CVS Health by 49.0% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 41,636 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $2,618,000 after purchasing an additional 13,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.66% of the company's stock.

CVS Health Stock Performance

CVS stock traded up $5.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $69.05. The stock had a trading volume of 9,572,385 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,007,776. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.05. CVS Health Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.56 and a fifty-two week high of $74.85. 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 (NYSE:CVS - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.11%. Analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors 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 yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. CVS Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In related news, Director Michael F. Mahoney acquired 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $66.70 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 39,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. The trade was a 320.65 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on CVS. Leerink Partnrs raised CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of CVS Health from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of CVS Health from $60.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised CVS Health from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.39.

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.