Workflow
Pharmacy Benefit Managers
icon
Search documents
CVS Q2 Estimates Dip: Is the Stock Still a Buy Ahead of Q2 Earnings?
ZACKSยท 2025-07-23 20:00
Core Insights - CVS Health Corporation is set to report its second-quarter 2025 results on July 31, with adjusted earnings in the last quarter exceeding estimates by 31.58% [1] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter revenues is $93.72 billion, indicating a year-over-year growth of 2.7%, while earnings per share are expected to decline by 19.67% to $1.47 [2][7] Earnings Estimates - Earnings estimates for CVS Health have decreased from $1.58 to $1.47 per share over the past 90 days due to various operational and regulatory challenges [3] - The current earnings estimates for the upcoming quarters are $1.42 for the next quarter, $6.12 for the current year, and $7.00 for the next year [4] Operational Challenges - CVS Health faces operational cost pressures, legal challenges, and regulatory scrutiny, which have negatively impacted earnings estimates [4] - The company has incurred one-time charges totaling $1.082 billion, including $387 million related to the Omnicare verdict and $448 million in ACA-related reserves [4] Segment Performance - The Health Care Benefits segment is expected to generate revenues of $34.6 billion, with a focus on margin recovery through benefit redesigns and pricing changes [6][8] - The Pharmacy & Consumer Wellness segment is projected to achieve revenues of $32.16 billion, benefiting from increased prescription volumes despite reimbursement pressures [11][12] - The Health Services segment is estimated to generate $43.52 billion in revenues, supported by the performance of Caremark, CVS's pharmacy benefit manager [10][9] Stock Performance - CVS Health shares gained 2.5% in the second quarter of 2025, underperforming the S&P 500's 10.7% rise [13] - Compared to peers, CVS outperformed Herbalife and UnitedHealth Group, which saw declines of 2.2% and 40% respectively [13] Valuation - CVS Health's forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 9.24X, which is a premium compared to Herbalife's 4.51X but undervalued relative to UnitedHealth's 12.27X [16] Strategic Initiatives - CVS is implementing strategies to improve profitability, including redesigning Aetna benefits and enhancing drug pricing transparency through new PBM models [17] - The company is also optimizing its retail footprint and has plans to close over 20 pharmacies in Arkansas due to new regulatory laws [4][5]