CVS Health Corporation $CVS Holdings Lowered by Polaris Capital Management LLC

Polaris Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 525,300 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 77,300 shares during the period. CVS Health makes up 3.5% of Polaris Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Polaris Capital Management LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $41,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. National Pension Service lifted its stake in CVS Health by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,999,622 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $301,532,000 after buying an additional 119,189 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in CVS Health by 316.2% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 104,432 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $7,873,000 after buying an additional 79,340 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in CVS Health by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 257,204 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $19,391,000 after buying an additional 14,983 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in CVS Health by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 225,116 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $16,971,000 after buying an additional 22,653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in CVS Health by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 149,902 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $11,301,000 after buying an additional 16,418 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

CVS Health Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE CVS opened at $77.92 on Friday. CVS Health Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.35 and a 12-month high of $85.15. The company has a market cap of $99.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $76.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.85.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $105.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $103.67 billion. CVS Health had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 0.44%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. CVS Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.940-6.140 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that CVS Health Corporation will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd will be given a $0.665 dividend. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 23rd. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 192.75%.

Key Headlines Impacting CVS Health

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aetna (a CVS Health company) reported measurable progress simplifying prior authorization, which should reduce administrative costs and speed care delivery—potentially improving medical cost trends and margins for the health-insurance segment. Aetna Announces Progress on Industry Leading Efforts to Simplify Prior Authorization
• Positive Sentiment: Major U.S. insurers (including Aetna and UnitedHealthcare) are coordinating to standardize electronic prior authorization — a structural change that could cut administrative friction across payors and providers, benefiting CVS’s insurance and PBM businesses over time. U.S. Health Insurers Step Up Prior Authorization Reforms
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS is pursuing packaging and sustainability changes (e.g., swapping foam and other supplier moves) that lower costs and environmental footprint, but these are incremental operational items unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. Packaging innovations: CVS Health swaps foam, PPG coats pet food cans
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market-coverage pieces note modest share weakness in the last session; this reflects a mix of sector moves and headline sensitivity rather than fresh company-specific fundamentals. CVS Health (CVS) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Tennessee passed a bill restricting pharmacies from owning PBMs; CVS warns the law could force many store closures and plans to sue—this represents direct state-level regulatory risk to retail pharmacy revenue and PBM economics. Legislation to ban pharmacies from owning PBMs heads to Gov. Lee’s desk, CVS Health may close Tenn. locations
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets report CVS is preparing legal fights and warning of large-scale closures if similar PBM restrictions spread—heightening investor concern about regulatory contagion and potential earnings downside. CVS fights law that could force over 100 stores to close
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis of the Mass General Brigham–CVS primary care arrangement flags potential hidden access costs (~$40M) that could pressure the economics of CVS’s expanding primary care footprint. Mass General Brigham, CVS Primary Care Deal Could Have a $40M Hidden Cost of Access

Analyst Ratings Changes

CVS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on CVS Health from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Leerink Partners reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $98.00 target price on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on CVS Health from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on CVS Health from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.05.

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.