Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Buys 4,768 Shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) by 63.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 12,341 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,768 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in CVS Health by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 707 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CVS Health in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 39.4% during the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 637 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. PARK CIRCLE Co increased its position in CVS Health by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. PARK CIRCLE Co now owns 1,000 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in CVS Health by 77.2% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,024 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Guy P. Sansone acquired 1,570 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $63.70 per share, with a total value of $100,009.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,007 shares in the company, valued at $764,845.90. This trade represents a 15.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CVS Health Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of CVS opened at $62.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.80. CVS Health Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $43.56 and a fifty-two week high of $72.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $64.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.85. The firm has a market cap of $79.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.57.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The pharmacy operator reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.35. CVS Health had a return on equity of 10.51% and a net margin of 1.17%. The firm had revenue of $98.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.87 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CVS Health Corporation will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 22nd were paid a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 22nd. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on CVS. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of CVS Health from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $84.00 target price (up from $76.00) on shares of CVS Health in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho increased their price objective on CVS Health from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Bernstein Bank reduced their price target on CVS Health from $78.00 to $72.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.11.

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.