Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $101.66 Million Stock Position in CVS Health Corporation $CVS

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) by 0.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,415,497 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 7,634 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of CVS Health worth $101,661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in CVS Health during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of CVS Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of CVS Health by 407.2% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 350 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the period. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CVS Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in CVS Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other CVS Health news, Director Larry Robbins sold 1,983,538 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,213,261 shares in the company, valued at $586,842,501.45. This trade represents a 24.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Tilak Mandadi sold 69,551 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.58, for a total value of $6,230,378.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $907,714.14. The trade was a 87.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 3,441,551 shares of company stock valued at $323,703,977 in the last 90 days. 0.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CVS Health Price Performance

NYSE CVS opened at $106.01 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $135.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.70, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.79. CVS Health Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.50 and a 52-week high of $107.94.

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

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CVS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $108.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Argus increased their price target on CVS Health from $90.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on CVS Health from $107.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CVS Health in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on CVS Health from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.38.

Key Headlines Impacting CVS Health

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial raised its price target on CVS to $118 and reiterated a buy rating, reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment and suggesting additional upside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: CVS Caremark reached a global settlement with the FTC that CVS says advances transparency and affordability in prescription drug pricing, potentially easing a major legal overhang for the pharmacy-benefit manager business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighting CVS as a 52-week high stock and a potentially attractive long-term value play are keeping momentum traders and value investors interested.
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS continued to promote Aetna provider survey results showing improved payer trust and the benefits of digital tools, which is supportive for the healthcare-services narrative but not a major immediate stock catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS also affirmed its dividend and expanded GLP-1 support programs, which helps the investment case, though the market may still be waiting to see whether those efforts meaningfully improve employer economics and utilization trends.
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street Zen downgraded CVS to Hold, and the stock is trading near its recent high, which could prompt some investors to question near-term valuation after a strong run.

CVS Health 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.