CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $99.68.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $93.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $113.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a report on Monday. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th.

Key Headlines Impacting CVS Health

Here are the key news stories impacting CVS Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on CVS Health to $108 from $102 and kept a Buy rating, signaling continued upside potential for the shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: CVS was highlighted by Zacks as a strong value stock and a name attracting investor attention, which can reinforce bullish sentiment around the shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: CVS Health is leveraging AI in pharmacy dispensing, suggesting efficiency gains and a push to improve operations over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS published a company update about helping seniors navigate digital-first health care, which is positive for its brand but not likely to move the stock on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary noted CVS is attracting investor attention and compared its dividend profile with UnitedHealth, but this was largely discussion-oriented rather than a new catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CVS faces a lawsuit alleging it pocketed $250 million in drug savings meant for uninsured patients, adding legal and reputational overhang. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Eli Lilly said it won back CVS Health’s support on GLP-1 access, reversing Novo Nordisk’s advantage; the headline is more about Lilly, but it suggests CVS is still central to intense pricing and access battles in weight-loss drugs. Article Title

CVS Health Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE CVS opened at $89.70 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $114.45 billion, a PE ratio of 39.51, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average of $82.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.64. CVS Health has a 52-week low of $58.50 and a 52-week high of $98.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.87.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $100.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.99 billion. CVS Health had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 0.72%.The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.300-7.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CVS Health will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd were paid a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 23rd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 117.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Tilak Mandadi sold 69,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.58, for a total value of $6,230,378.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $907,714.14. This trade represents a 87.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Larry Robbins sold 370,462 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total value of $34,619,673.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,824,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $450,877,466.55. This trade represents a 7.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,441,551 shares of company stock valued at $323,703,977. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CVS. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its position in CVS Health by 316.2% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 104,432 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $7,873,000 after purchasing an additional 79,340 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in CVS Health by 50.3% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 86,564 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $6,526,000 after purchasing an additional 28,953 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in CVS Health by 12.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 678,558 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $51,156,000 after purchasing an additional 75,603 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CVS Health in the fourth quarter worth about $160,844,000. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its position in CVS Health by 56.8% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 35,481 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $2,675,000 after purchasing an additional 12,849 shares during the period. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CVS Health

CVS Health Corporation is a diversified healthcare company that operates a large network of retail pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management services and health care solutions. Headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the company traces its roots to the early 1960s and has grown into an integrated provider of prescription drugs, over‑the‑counter products, clinical services and health insurance offerings. Its operating model combines retail pharmacy locations and in‑store clinics with broader pharmacy and health plan capabilities.

Key business activities include CVS Pharmacy retail operations, MinuteClinic walk‑in medical clinics and HealthHUB locations that offer expanded clinical services.