Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $5.24 Million Stock Position in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 66,401 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,476 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $5,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CVS. Atticus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in CVS Health by 149.0% in the 4th quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 366 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of CVS Health by 111.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 461 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in CVS Health by 400.0% during the fourth quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners grew its stake in CVS Health by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 539 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in CVS Health in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CVS traded up $0.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $55.90. 23,946,075 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,498,538. The company has a market capitalization of $70.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.81. CVS Health Co. has a 1-year low of $53.70 and a 1-year high of $83.25. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.37.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The pharmacy operator reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.38). The business had revenue of $88.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.33 billion. CVS Health had a return on equity of 13.53% and a net margin of 2.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CVS Health Co. will post 7.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 19th. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is 46.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Leerink Partnrs cut CVS Health from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of CVS Health from $85.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $95.00 to $77.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on CVS Health from $83.00 to $76.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on CVS Health from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In related news, EVP Prem S. Shah sold 29,473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.95, for a total transaction of $2,267,947.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,059,916.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Prem S. Shah sold 29,473 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.95, for a total transaction of $2,267,947.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 39,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,059,916.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Edward J. Ludwig purchased 1,000 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $53.88 per share, for a total transaction of $53,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,165,424.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company 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.