Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Sells 33,057 Shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lessened its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 127,891 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 33,057 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $5,741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of CVS. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of CVS Health during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its stake in CVS Health by 255.7% during the 4th quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 626 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in CVS Health during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in CVS Health during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in CVS Health during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CVS opened at $65.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $82.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.53. CVS Health Co. has a 1 year low of $43.56 and a 1 year high of $80.75. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $58.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.00.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.11%. On average, research analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 23rd. CVS Health’s payout ratio is 72.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CVS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Edward Jones upgraded shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVS Health

In other news, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total value of $498,487.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,941.90. This trade represents a 47.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael F. Mahoney purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now owns 39,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. This represents a 320.65 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Profile

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.