CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 7.900-8.100 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 7.440. The company issued revenue guidance of $414.0M-, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $409.2 billion.

CVS Health Price Performance

CVS traded down $2.30 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $96.82. The stock had a trading volume of 5,345,878 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,440,125. The company has a market cap of $123.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.61. CVS Health has a 1 year low of $62.55 and a 1 year high of $110.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $102.10 and a 200 day moving average of $87.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.87.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The pharmacy operator reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.71. CVS Health had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business had revenue of $106.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $100.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CVS Health will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CVS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of CVS Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of CVS Health from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial raised their price target on CVS Health from $108.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $80.00 to $100.00 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.46.

Insider Transactions at CVS Health

In other news, Director Larry Robbins sold 1,983,538 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.45, for a total value of $187,345,164.10. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,213,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $586,842,501.45. This represents a 24.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $6,230,378.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $907,714.14. This trade represents a 87.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,441,551 shares of company stock valued at $323,703,977. 0.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting CVS Health

Here are the key news stories impacting CVS Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CVS substantially beat second-quarter estimates. Adjusted EPS was $2.58 versus the $1.87 consensus, while revenue increased 7.3% year over year to $106.1 billion, exceeding expectations. All three major segments—Aetna, pharmacy and health services—outperformed revenue estimates. CVS blows past estimates, hikes guidance as insurance unit continues to improve
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year outlook. CVS lifted adjusted EPS guidance to $7.90-$8.10 from $7.30-$7.50 and increased operating-cash-flow guidance to at least $11.5 billion from $9.5 billion. Improved medical-cost trends at Aetna, a more profitable pharmacy drug mix and strong government-plan performance supported the upgrade. CVS Health Corporation reports strong second-quarter results and raises guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Aetna’s turnaround is gaining traction. Lower medical costs and bonus payments tied to highly rated government health plans helped drive a nearly threefold increase in net income, reinforcing the recovery thesis for CVS’s insurance business. CVS Health nearly triples net income as Aetna turnaround gains steam
• Positive Sentiment: CVS expanded its GLP-1 weight-management strategy. A collaboration with Eli Lilly, broader access to FDA-approved weight-loss drugs and lower-cost MinuteClinic digital visits could increase pharmacy, clinical and consumer-health engagement. CVS enhances direct-to-consumer weight-management offerings
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings-driven rally faded as investors assessed whether the improved results are sustainable beyond 2026.
• Negative Sentiment: Forward PBM concerns are weighing on sentiment. CVS flagged potential 2027 pressure from changes to the 340B drug-pricing program and declining Caremark membership, raising concerns about future pricing, revenue and margins. CVS Q2 earnings call pairs Aetna recovery with 2027 PBM risks
• Negative Sentiment: Management remarks about the PBM business caused shares to reverse earlier gains, suggesting investors are prioritizing the risk to longer-term earnings over the raised near-term outlook. CVS Health reverses early gains after management remarks on PBM unit

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CVS. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in CVS Health by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 3,442 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in CVS Health by 1.1% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 15,059 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,031,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Beck Mack & Oliver LLC raised its position in shares of CVS Health by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Beck Mack & Oliver LLC now owns 21,248 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,686,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management increased its stake in CVS Health by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 7,265 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $577,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Logan Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CVS Health by 1.4% in the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,448 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

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.