Forsta AP Fonden Grows Stock Holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 343,000 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,500 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $21,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CVS Health in the first quarter valued at $40,000. Retirement Group LLC grew its position in CVS Health by 54.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 517 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, First Community Trust NA lifted its stake in shares of CVS Health by 116.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 562 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CVS Health Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of CVS traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $56.49. The company had a trading volume of 8,439,033 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,224,411. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. CVS Health Co. has a 52 week low of $52.77 and a 52 week high of $83.25. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $59.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.14. The stock has a market cap of $71.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.05, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.54.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $91.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.41 billion. CVS Health had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 1.98%. CVS Health’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.21 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 6.41 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.71%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CVS has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of CVS Health from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of CVS Health from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on CVS Health from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective on CVS Health from $82.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on CVS Health from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CVS Health currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.58.

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.