Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 281,009 Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 33.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 565,199 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 281,009 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $25,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CVS. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in CVS Health in the third quarter worth $31,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of CVS Health by 255.7% during the fourth quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 626 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of CVS Health in the third quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total transaction of $498,487.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,941.90. This trade represents a 47.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $66.70 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 39,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,625,045.20. The trade was a 320.65 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of CVS Health from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on CVS Health from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised CVS Health from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.83.

CVS Health Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of CVS Health stock opened at $66.65 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.54. CVS Health Co. has a 12-month low of $43.56 and a 12-month high of $80.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 1.24%. Analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 23rd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.99%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.68%.

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.