CVS Health Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CVS)

CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 37,560 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 59% compared to the average daily volume of 23,606 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CVS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on CVS Health from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on CVS Health from $82.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Truist Financial set a $100.00 target price on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.86.

Institutional Trading of CVS Health

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Avion Wealth raised its stake in CVS Health by 99.0% during the second quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 380 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 72.1% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in CVS Health by 407.2% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 350 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in CVS Health in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the second quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of CVS stock traded up $1.82 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $81.91. 4,096,064 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,633,214. CVS Health has a 52 week low of $52.34 and a 52 week high of $85.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 215.55, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $78.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.83.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.24. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.12% and a return on equity of 11.45%. The firm had revenue of $102.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. CVS Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.550-6.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CVS Health will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 22nd will be given a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 22nd. CVS Health’s payout ratio is presently 700.00%.

About CVS Health

CVS Health Corporation is a diversified healthcare company that operates a large network of retail pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management services and health care solutions. Headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the company traces its roots to the early 1960s and has grown into an integrated provider of prescription drugs, over‑the‑counter products, clinical services and health insurance offerings. Its operating model combines retail pharmacy locations and in‑store clinics with broader pharmacy and health plan capabilities.

Key business activities include CVS Pharmacy retail operations, MinuteClinic walk‑in medical clinics and HealthHUB locations that offer expanded clinical services.