FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

CVS Health Increasingly Likely to Reach 3% Medicare Advantage Target Margin in 2028, RBC Says

By

-- CVS Health (CVS) is increasingly more likely to reach its 3% Medicare Advantage target margin in 2028, RBC Capital Markets analyst said in a note Wednesday.

Analysts said the company's Q1 adjusted earnings "comfortably" beat expectations, driven by "strong" topline growth and a notable improvement in profitability in the Health Care Benefits segment.

Medical costs came in below expectations and, while the company maintained its medical benefit ratio guidance for the year, it is increasingly likely to outperform, according to the note.

The brokerage raised its 2026 adjusted earnings estimate for the company to $7.41 from $7.10. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect $7.29.

RBC reiterated its outperform rating on the stock and increased its price target to $107 from $93.

Price: $87.01, Change: $+0.14, Percent Change: +0.17%

Related Articles

Australia

Northern Graphite Up 10% as it Starts Plant Relocation to Advance the Okanjande Restart

Northern Graphite (NGC.V) on Thursday said istarted work to relocate a processing plant in Namibia to the Okanjande mine site as it advances plans to restart production in late 2027.The company awarded a contract to Rotary Engineering Services, based in Namibia, to dismantle the remaining plant infrastructure at the former Okorusu site and transport it to the Okanjande mine site for reassembly. Work is expected to be completed by the end of June."It puts us on a clear path toward supplying our planned joint venture BAM facility in Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is targeted for initial production in 2028, supporting Northern's broader mine-to-battery strategy," said Chief Executive Hugues Jacquemin.The Okanjande operation is currently on care and maintenance, with a targeted restart of production in late 2027, subject to financing, it said. Graphite produced from Okanjande is expected to supply both traditional industrial markets, including refractory applications for steelmaking, heat management in electronics, and friction products for the automotive sector, as well as the growing national security and battery materials markets.Shares of the company were last seen up $0.015 to $0.165 on the TSX Venture Exchange.Price: $0.17, Change: $+0.02, Percent Change: +10.00%

$NGC.V
Australia

Paramount Pictures, Warner Music Group to Partner on Theatrical Films

Price: $10.78, Change: $-0.11, Percent Change: -1.04%

$PSKY$WMG
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Fall as US Equities Drop Midday on Labor Data, Iran Tumult

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV fell. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) eased 0.1%.US equity indexes fell Thursday as investors weighed labor data and Iran's response to a Washington proposal to restart peace talks.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) fell 2% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) dropped 1.9%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 0.1%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) climbed 0.1%, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) fell 0.3%.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) shed 1.6%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) lost 2.5%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) fell 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) dropped 1.3%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), gained 1.1%.CommoditiesCrude oil rose 0.7%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 0.1%. Natural gas and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) each increased 2.4%.Gold on Comex rose 0.6%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) advanced 0.4%. Silver jumped 4%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) gained 3%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) decreased 0.5%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) shed 0.4%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) declined 0.6%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was little changed. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) fell 0.7%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) declined 1.4%.Health CareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) fell 0.8%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) dropped 1%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) declined 1.1%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) tumbled 2.8%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) lost 1.1%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) dropped 1.2% and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) shed 0.7%.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) declined 2.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) fell 2.1%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) dipped 2.6%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 2.4% lower.

$^DJI$^EEM$^EXI$^FAS$^FAZ$^GLD$^IBB$^IGM$^IGV$^IPK$^IVV$^IWM$^IXIC$^IYE$^IYH$^IYJ$^IYK$^IYW$^PMR$^QQQ$^RTH$^SOXX$^SPX$^SPY$^UNG$^USO$^VDC$^VHT$^VIS$^XLE$^XLF$^XLI$^XLK$^XLP$^XLV$^XRT$^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH