CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) Shares Sold by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. trimmed its holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,451 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 278 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in CVS Health by 255.7% in the 4th quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 626 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 137.5% in the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 805 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CVS Health Stock Up 2.8 %

CVS opened at $66.01 on Thursday. CVS Health Co. has a one year low of $43.56 and a one year high of $80.75. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $83.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.63.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 1.24%. Analysts anticipate that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.665 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 23rd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on CVS. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on CVS Health from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on CVS Health from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on CVS Health from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael F. Mahoney acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $66.70 per share, with a total value of $2,001,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 39,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,625,045.20. The trade was a 320.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

About CVS Health

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.