Accessibility StatementSkip Navigation HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Aetna, a CVS Health company (NYSE: CVS), today announced it will scale the Aetna Clinical Collaboration (ACC) program to ten hospitals by year-end, with implementations underway with AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Houston Methodist and WakeMed Health & Hospitals. The ACC program brings Aetna nurses together with hospital staff, working side-by-side to help Medicare Advantage members get the care and support they need to ...

CVS Health's Aetna insurance arm will expand a nascent program pairing members in its privately run Medicare plans with nurses - an effort the company says will reduce hospital readmissions, which are... ...

Core Viewpoint - The U.S. Federal Reserve has approved a rate cut, leading investors to seek income-generating investments, particularly dividend stocks as attractive yields become a focus [1]. Group 1: CVS Health - CVS Health announced a quarterly dividend of $0.665 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $2.66 per share and a dividend yield of 3.6% [3]. - Morgan Stanley analyst Erin Wright reiterated a buy rating on CVS stock with a price target of $82, highlighting the company's integrated model and turnaround potential [4]. - CVS is focusing on stabilizing and turning around its business, with improvements in Medicare Star Ratings and pharmacy pricing models [5]. - The company aims to return to a target leverage of low 3x and plans to hold its dividend until it reaches a target payout ratio of about 30% [6]. Group 2: Williams Companies - Williams Companies declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per share, reflecting a 5.3% year-over-year increase, with an annualized dividend of $2 per share and a yield of 3.4% [8]. - Analyst Selman Akyol noted that Williams has growth opportunities due to increasing demand for natural gas, particularly from LNG exports [9]. - The company is focused on maintaining a strong balance sheet while growing its dividend in the 5% to 6% range annually [12]. Group 3: Chord Energy - Chord Energy paid a base dividend of $1.30 in the second quarter, with total dividends of $5.34 over the past 12 months, resulting in a dividend yield of 5.1% [14]. - The company announced an acquisition of assets in the Williston Basin for $550 million, which is expected to enhance operational efficiency and cash flow [15]. - Analyst Gabriele Sorbara reaffirmed a buy rating on Chord Energy with a price target of $140, citing strong free cash flow yield and low financial leverage [17].

Core Points - The Swarthmore Avenue CVS Pharmacy has reopened, marking it as the first community pharmacy in the neighborhood, which enhances access to health and wellness essentials [1] Company Summary - CVS Health® has celebrated the reopening of the Pacific Palisades CVS Pharmacy store, indicating a commitment to improving community health access [1]

Core Insights - CVS Health's Oak Street Health is experiencing pressure in medical cost trends, leading to a higher medical benefit ratio (MBR) in Q2 2025, influenced by elevated medical costs and enhanced benefits [1][10] - Total at-risk membership at Oak Street increased by 31% year-over-year, while CVS reduced its full-year adjusted operating income forecast by approximately $200 million in the Health Services segment to at least $7.34 billion due to the higher MBR [2] - CVS is focusing on value-based care as a key component of its Medicare Advantage strategy to improve clinical outcomes and lower care costs [3] Company Strategy and Operations - CVS has strengthened its leadership team with experienced professionals in value-based care and population health management [4] - The company is evaluating its technology and operations to enhance clinical solutions and improve medical cost management [4] - CVS plans to prioritize patient growth at existing Oak Street centers rather than rapid expansion [10] Competitive Landscape - Cigna's Evernorth Health Services announced a $3.5 billion investment in Shields Health Solutions, which is not expected to impact its 2025 earnings guidance [5] - Elevance Health has formed new partnerships to enhance musculoskeletal care, expanding its value-based care program [6] Stock Performance and Valuation - CVS Health shares have increased by 29.4% over the past year, outperforming the industry, which fell by 18.8% [9] - The company is trading at a forward price/sales ratio of 0.23X, below the industry average of 0.39X, with a Value Score of A [11]

Group 1 - CVS Health Corporation is recognized as one of the 15 Best Performing Dividend Stocks in 2025 [1] - The company has expanded beyond a pharmacy chain to include in-store clinics offering various health services and owns Aetna, covering approximately 36 million members, making it the fifth-largest insurer in the U.S. [2] - CVS holds a 27% share of the nationwide prescription market, with strong performance reflected in its second-quarter results, where both revenue and earnings exceeded Wall Street expectations [3] Group 2 - Management raised its full-year earnings guidance from $6.00–$6.20 per share to $6.30–$6.40, contributing to an 18% stock price increase in August [3] - CVS has been a consistent dividend payer since 1997, currently offering a quarterly dividend of $0.665 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.64% as of September 15 [4]

Core Insights - The U.S. value-based care (VBC) service market is rapidly evolving, attracting investors due to its potential for long-term stability and returns, focusing on integrated care rather than fee-for-service models [1] - CVS Health and Evolent Health are key players in the VBC space, aiming to provide higher-quality care at lower costs [1] CVS Health - CVS Health's Oak Street Health operates over 230 centers nationwide, providing primary care to Medicare-eligible patients and expanding VBC across its businesses, including Aetna and MinuteClinic [2] - The latest quarterly performance showed an 8.4% year-over-year revenue increase, although adjusted EPS decreased by 2 cents to $1.81 [3] - CVS is taking steps to stabilize Aetna and Oak Street, including investing in technology and enhancing leadership [3][4] - Caremark, CVS's pharmacy benefit manager, is performing well with high retention rates and partnerships to expand access to medications [5][6] - CVS raised its full-year revenue outlook to at least $391.5 billion, with adjusted EPS expected between $6.30 and $6.40 [6] Evolent Health - Evolent Health experienced a 31.3% year-over-year revenue decline in Q2 2025, with a loss of 10 cents per share compared to 18 cents EPS in the previous year [7] - Despite the revenue decline, Evolent is focused on organic growth, margin expansion, and capital allocation [7] - The company secured four new revenue agreements in Q2, bringing the year-to-date total to 11 [8] - Evolent has a partnership with Aetna to provide oncology services to 250,000 Medicare Advantage members, expected to generate over $250 million in new revenues by Q1 2026 [10] - Evolent's second-quarter adjusted EBITDA was $37.5 million, with a projected annualized run rate EBITDA improvement of $20 million by year-end [12] Price Performance and Valuation - Year-to-date, CVS shares have increased by 63.7%, while Evolent shares have declined by 23.3% [15] - CVS trades at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 0.23X, lower than Evolent's 0.45X [16] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CVS's 2025 EPS indicates a 17% year-over-year growth to $6.34, with estimates trending upward [18] - Evolent's EPS estimate has remained stable at 42 cents for the past 90 days, representing a 2.4% increase over 2024 [20] Conclusion - Both CVS and Evolent are positioned as major players in the VBC market, with CVS showing stronger strategic execution and an optimistic full-year outlook, making it appear better positioned than Evolent [21]

Group 1: Stock Performance - CVS Health's stock decreased by 1.98% to $73.50, underperforming the S&P 500 which gained 0.47% [1] - Over the past month, CVS Health's shares increased by 9.3%, outperforming the Medical sector's gain of 5.49% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.32% [1] Group 2: Earnings Projections - CVS Health is expected to report earnings of $1.36 per share, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 24.77% [2] - Revenue is projected at $97.96 billion, an increase of 2.65% from the same quarter last year [2] Group 3: Fiscal Year Estimates - For the fiscal year, earnings are estimated at $6.34 per share, indicating a growth of 16.97% [3] - Revenue for the fiscal year is projected to be $391.11 billion, representing a 4.91% increase from the previous year [3] Group 4: Analyst Estimates and Confidence - Recent adjustments to analyst estimates for CVS Health indicate changing near-term business trends, with positive revisions suggesting confidence in performance [4] - The Zacks Rank system, which incorporates estimate changes, currently ranks CVS Health at 3 (Hold) [6] Group 5: Valuation Metrics - CVS Health has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.82, which is lower than the industry's Forward P/E of 16.7, indicating a valuation discount [7] - The PEG ratio for CVS Health is 0.83, compared to the Medical Services industry's average PEG ratio of 1.5 [7] Group 6: Industry Context - The Medical Services industry, part of the Medical sector, has a Zacks Industry Rank of 148, placing it in the bottom 41% of over 250 industries [8] - Research indicates that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [8]

Industry Overview - The healthcare industry in the U.S. is experiencing rapid growth, currently accounting for over 17% of the economy and expected to expand at an average rate of 5.8% annually through 2033, potentially exceeding 20% of the economy [1][2] - The sector is considered recession-resistant, historically performing well during economic downturns as healthcare remains a necessity [2] - Demographic trends indicate a growing elderly population, with projections showing the number of Americans aged 65 or older rising from 62 million in 2024 to 84 million in 2054, increasing the demand for healthcare services [3] Company Profile: CVS Health - CVS Health operates approximately 9,600 stores across all 50 states, with 85% of Americans living within 10 miles of a location, making it a significant player in the healthcare sector [5][6] - The company provides a range of healthcare services, including lab tests, health screenings, vaccinations, and minor injury treatments, employing over 40,000 healthcare professionals [6] - CVS Health owns Aetna, the fifth-largest health insurer in the U.S., covering 36 million people, and holds a 27% market share in pharmacy prescriptions nationwide [6][7] Financial Performance - CVS Health reported strong second-quarter results, exceeding Wall Street's earnings and revenue estimates, and raised its full-year earnings per share guidance from $6.00-$6.20 to $6.30-$6.40 [9] - The stock price increased by 18% in August following the earnings report, with analysts projecting earnings growth of 15% in 2025 and 13% in 2026 [9] - Despite a year-to-date stock increase of 65% as of September 10, the stock remains undervalued, trading at just 10 times forward earnings estimates, lower than many peers in the healthcare industry [10][11] Strategic Moves - CVS Health is expanding its footprint by acquiring former Rite Aid locations, which filed for bankruptcy protection, and is also acquiring Rite Aid's prescription files [10] - The company has a market capitalization of approximately $90 billion and has returned value to shareholders through stock repurchases and dividends, paying $3.3 billion in dividends last year [11] Market Position - Recent stock price dips occurred when CVS executives did not provide guidance on upcoming government ratings affecting Medicare Advantage plans, but this is not seen as a significant concern [12] - The current market conditions present an opportunity for investors to acquire shares of CVS Health, given its growth potential and strategic expansions [13]

Group 1 - CVS Health Corporation and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated are two of the largest health insurance providers in the U.S., with CVS serving approximately 37 million people through various insurance plans [1] - The article highlights the importance of staying updated on stocks within the biotech, pharma, and healthcare industries, emphasizing key trends and catalysts that drive valuations [1] - The investing group Haggerston BioHealth provides insights for both novice and experienced biotech investors, including product sales forecasts and market analysis for major pharmaceutical companies [1] Group 2 - The article is authored by a biotech consultant with over five years of experience in covering the biotech, healthcare, and pharma sectors, having prepared detailed reports on more than 1,000 companies [1]