Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS – Free Report) by 6.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 251,938 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 16,841 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $18,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,183,743 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $4,776,182,000 after buying an additional 1,245,457 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 9,309,182 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $738,777,000 after acquiring an additional 31,249 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of CVS Health by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,666,495 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $370,333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,031,998 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of CVS Health by 200.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 676,809 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $53,711,000 after purchasing an additional 451,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in CVS Health during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,333,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting CVS Health
Here are the key news stories impacting CVS Health this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect CVS Health’s upcoming earnings to show continued growth, with favorable earnings and revenue trends cited as potential catalysts for a beat. The outlook is supported by resilient healthcare demand and the company’s latest reported quarter, when CVS exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. CVS Health Earnings Expected to Grow
- Positive Sentiment: CVS Pharmacy has begun offering common prescription medications for dogs and cats at approximately 9,000 locations, expanding its retail healthcare offering and creating a potential incremental source of pharmacy traffic and revenue. Pet Medications Now Available at CVS Pharmacy
- Positive Sentiment: Health100, a CVS subsidiary, earned DirectTrust accreditation under the CARIN Code of Conduct for consumer-facing applications. The recognition may strengthen confidence in the Health100 app’s data privacy and security, although the near-term financial effect is likely limited. Health100 Earns Industry Accreditation
- Neutral Sentiment: X and the World Federation of Advertisers settled litigation related to an alleged advertiser boycott. CVS was previously identified among companies accused by X, but the settlement appears unlikely to have a material direct effect on CVS’s operations or earnings. X and WFA Settle Litigation
- Negative Sentiment: Potentially ending Medicare Part D subsidies for 2027 is the most significant near-term concern. Investors may be reassessing CVS’s Medicare exposure, even as the company continues to benefit from expectations for earnings growth and recent operating momentum. Potential Medicare Part D Subsidy Changes
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
View Our Latest Analysis on CVS
Insider Transactions at CVS Health
In other news, Director Larry Robbins sold 370,462 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total value of $34,619,673.90. Following the sale, the director owned 4,824,799 shares in the company, valued at $450,877,466.55. This represents a 7.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tilak Mandadi sold 69,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.58, for a total transaction of $6,230,378.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $907,714.14. This trade represents a 87.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 3,441,551 shares of company stock valued at $323,703,977 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.
CVS Health Price Performance
Shares of CVS stock opened at $106.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $135.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.70, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $100.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.74. CVS Health Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $61.00 and a fifty-two week high of $110.68.
CVS Health (NYSE:CVS – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $100.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.99 billion. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 11.88%. CVS Health’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.300-7.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CVS Health Corporation will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
CVS Health Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 117.18%.
CVS Health Company Profile
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.
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