Deutsche Bank upgraded CVS to "buy" and maintained its $66 target price
Shares of healthcare giant CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS) are 1.5% higher before the bell, after a bull note at Deutsche Bank. The analyst in question upgraded CVS to "buy" from "hold" and maintained its $66 price target, saying the company's earnings will recover and beat expectations.
On the charts, CVS Health stock is set to open just below $60, an area it contended with between August and September, as well as more recently, after bouncing from its mid-November lows. The equity's 180-day moving average still remains overhead as a layer of resistance, though a floor of long-term support remains at the $55 mark. Year to date, the stock is down 25.2%.
Given the security's paltry year-to-date performance, it's no surprise that eight of the 24 covering brokerages rate CVS a tepid "hold." However, should the shares recover as Deutsche Bank predicts, it could force pessimists to change their tune and provide tailwinds for the equity.
Options are attractively priced right now. CVS Health stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 27% ranks in the low 16th percentile of the past 12 months. What's more, CVS' Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) also sits at 94 out of 100, meaning it has often exceeded options traders' volatility expectations in the past year.