LGT Group Foundation Cuts Stock Position in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

LGT Group Foundation decreased its holdings in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 25.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,922 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 14,750 shares during the quarter. LGT Group Foundation’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $1,972,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 3.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 56,527,909 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $3,554,475,000 after buying an additional 1,989,066 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,361,673 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,651,997,000 after buying an additional 461,569 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 1.5% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 13,135,308 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $825,948,000 after buying an additional 198,920 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 2.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,208,668 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $767,681,000 after buying an additional 304,386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 34.8% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 11,897,034 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $748,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,071,613 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of CVS opened at $64.82 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $81.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.53. CVS Health Co. has a 12-month low of $43.56 and a 12-month high of $80.75.

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

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.665 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 23rd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of CVS Health from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Edward Jones raised shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of CVS Health from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of CVS Health from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CVS Health presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.83.

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.