Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Maxim Group from $78.00 to $87.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Maxim Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 26.88% from the company’s previous close.
Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Express Scripts from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Jefferies Group set a $72.00 price target on shares of Express Scripts and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 29th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Express Scripts from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $66.00 price target on shares of Express Scripts and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. Finally, UBS lowered shares of Express Scripts from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Express Scripts has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.76.
Shares of Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) traded up $0.01 on Thursday, hitting $68.57. 3,723,700 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,108,701. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $38,830.53, a P/E ratio of 10.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.88. Express Scripts has a fifty-two week low of $55.80 and a fifty-two week high of $73.42.
In other news, CEO Timothy C. Wentworth acquired 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $61.13 per share, for a total transaction of $489,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,029,129.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Phyllis S. Anderson sold 643 shares of Express Scripts stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.37, for a total transaction of $40,103.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESRX. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Express Scripts by 0.3% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 8,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $551,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Express Scripts by 0.9% during the second quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. now owns 3,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Express Scripts by 0.6% during the second quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 6,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Honkamp Krueger Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Express Scripts by 0.8% during the second quarter. Honkamp Krueger Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Buckingham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Express Scripts by 0.6% during the second quarter. Buckingham Asset Management LLC now owns 8,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. 88.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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About Express Scripts
Express Scripts, Inc is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company in North America, offering a range of services to its clients, which include health insurers, third-party administrators, employers, union-sponsored benefit plans, workers’ compensation plans and government health programs. It operates in two segments: PBM and Emerging Markets (EM).
