Loudon Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Loudon Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 52.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,521 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,753 shares during the quarter. Loudon Investment Management LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $1,778,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of CVS Health by 149.0% during the 4th quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 366 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of CVS Health by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 461 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. ZRC Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in CVS Health by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Coston McIsaac & Partners increased its holdings in CVS Health by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 539 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in CVS Health during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. 80.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Edward J. Ludwig acquired 1,000 shares of CVS Health stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $53.88 per share, for a total transaction of $53,880.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 21,630 shares in the company, valued at $1,165,424.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other CVS Health news, EVP Prem S. Shah sold 29,473 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,059,916.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Edward J. Ludwig bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $53.88 per share, for a total transaction of $53,880.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 21,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,165,424.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CVS Health Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of CVS traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $55.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,286,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,846,523. The company’s 50 day moving average is $71.17 and its 200 day moving average is $72.84. The stock has a market cap of $70.09 billion, a PE ratio of 9.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.56. CVS Health Co. has a 12-month low of $53.70 and a 12-month high of $83.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company 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 revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CVS Health Co. will post 7.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CVS has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho decreased their target price on CVS Health from $86.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Argus reduced their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $100.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $76.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of CVS Health from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, SVB Leerink reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (down from $87.00) on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.75.

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.