Lazard Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in CVS Health Corporation $CVS

Lazard Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) by 6.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor 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 quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CVS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in CVS Health by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 120,709,530 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $9,579,508,000 after purchasing an additional 1,824,424 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 2.1% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of CVS Health by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 27,592,356 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $2,189,793,000 after buying an additional 900,153 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,666,265,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 20,373,774 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $1,616,863,000 after acquiring an additional 1,211,631 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health News Summary

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

CVS Health Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of NYSE CVS opened at $106.02 on Thursday. CVS Health Corporation has a 1 year low of $61.00 and a 1 year high of $110.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.74. The company has a market cap of $135.27 billion, a P/E 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 current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.36. CVS Health had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 0.72%.The firm had revenue of $100.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.300-7.500 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that CVS Health Corporation will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is 117.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Tilak Mandadi sold 69,551 shares of CVS Health 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $907,714.14. This trade represents a 87.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Larry Robbins sold 370,462 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total transaction of $34,619,673.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,824,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $450,877,466.55. This represents a 7.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,441,551 shares of company stock worth $323,703,977. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus lifted their target price on CVS Health from $90.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on CVS Health from $107.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Truist Financial increased their price target on CVS Health from $108.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CVS Health currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.67.

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.