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Stock Incentive Plans
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Stock Incentive Plans Stock Incentive Plans
The terms of the CVS Health 2017 Incentive Compensation Plan (“ICP”) provide for grants of annual incentive and long-term performance awards to executive officers and other officers and employees of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, as well as equity compensation to outside directors of CVS Health Corporation. Payment of such annual incentive and long-term performance awards will be in cash, stock, other awards or other property, at the discretion of the Management Planning and Development Committee (the “MP&D Committee”) of CVS Health Corporation’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). The ICP allows for a maximum of 92 million shares of CVS Health Corporation common stock to be reserved and available for grants. As of December 31, 2025, there were approximately 27 million shares of CVS Health Corporation common stock available for future grants under the ICP.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock-based compensation is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the requisite service period of the stock award (generally three to five years) using the straight-line method. The following table is a summary of stock-based compensation for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
In millions202520242023
Restricted stock units and performance stock units
$467 $461 $497 
Stock options and stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) (1)
68 79 91 
Total stock-based compensation
$535 $540 $588 
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(1)Includes the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”).

Restricted Stock Units and Performance Stock Units

The Company’s restricted stock units and performance stock units are considered nonvested share awards and require no payment from the employee. The fair value of the restricted stock units is based on the market price of CVS Health Corporation common stock on the grant date and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. For each restricted stock unit granted, employees receive one share of common stock, net of taxes, at the end of the vesting period.

The Company’s performance stock units contain performance vesting conditions in addition to a service vesting condition. Vesting of the Company’s performance stock units is dependent upon the degree to which the Company achieves its performance goals, which are generally set for a three-year performance period and are approved at the time of grant by the MP&D Committee.

The fair value of performance stock units granted with service and performance vesting conditions is based on the market price of CVS Health Corporation common stock on the grant date and is recognized over the vesting period. Certain of the performance stock units also contain a market vesting condition based on the performance of CVS Health Corporation common stock relative to a comparator group. The fair value of these performance stock units is determined using a Monte Carlo simulation as of the grant date and is recognized over the vesting period.

As of December 31, 2025, there was $819 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the Company’s restricted stock units and performance stock units that are expected to vest. These costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.4 years. The total fair value of restricted stock units vested during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 was $455 million, $497 million and $525 million, respectively.

The following table is a summary of the restricted stock unit and performance stock unit activity for the year ended December 31, 2025:
In thousands, except weighted average grant date fair valueUnitsWeighted Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Outstanding at beginning of year, nonvested18,512 $77.19 
Granted
9,256 $68.71 
Vested (1)
(5,834)$78.04 
Forfeited(3,086)$78.25 
Outstanding at end of year, nonvested18,848 $72.59 
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(1)Vested performance stock units have been included at target level performance. Based on actual performance, the number of restricted stock units and performance stock units vested during the year ended December 31, 2025 was 5.9 million.

Stock Options and SARs

All stock option and SARs grants are awarded at fair value on the date of grant. The fair value of stock options and SARs are estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, and stock-based compensation is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. Stock options and SARs granted generally become exercisable over a four-year period from
the grant date. Stock options granted through 2018 generally expire seven years after the grant date. Stock options and SARs granted subsequent to 2018 generally expire ten years after the grant date.

The following table is a summary of stock option and SAR activity for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
In millions202520242023
Cash received from stock options exercised (including ESPP)
$394 $361 $277 
Payments for taxes for net share settlement of equity awards
158 185 181 
Intrinsic value of stock options and SARs exercised
41 33 31 
Fair value of stock options and SARs vested
229 225 227 

The fair value of each stock option and SAR is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions at the time of grant:
202520242023
Dividend yield (1)
3.95 %4.29 %3.27 %
Expected volatility (2)
30.43 %28.36 %28.15 %
Risk-free interest rate (3)
4.15 %4.13 %3.55 %
Expected life (in years) (4)
6.35.35.9
Weighted-average grant date fair value$15.82 $11.31 $21.78 
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(1)The dividend yield is based on annual dividends paid and the fair market value of CVS Health Corporation stock at the grant date.
(2)The expected volatility is estimated based on the historical volatility of CVS Health Corporation’s daily stock price over a period equal to the expected life of each option grant after adjustments for infrequent events such as stock splits.
(3)The risk-free interest rate is selected based on yields from U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with a remaining term equal to the expected term of the options being valued.
(4)The expected life represents the number of years the options are expected to be outstanding from grant date based on historical option or SAR holder exercise experience.

As of December 31, 2025, unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options and SARs totaled $28 million, which the Company expects to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.8 years. After considering anticipated forfeitures, the Company expects approximately 4 million of the unvested stock options and SARs to vest over the requisite service period.

The following table is a summary of the Company’s stock option and SAR activity for the year ended December 31, 2025:
In thousands, except weighted average exercise price and remaining contractual termSharesWeighted
Average
Exercise
 Price		Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term		Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding at beginning of year15,019 $68.69 
Granted
733 $67.32 
Exercised(3,919)$58.13 
Forfeited(364)$70.83 
Expired(726)$79.33 
Outstanding at end of year10,743 $71.68 5.29$109,757 
Exercisable at end of year6,076 $71.55 4.3768,079 
Vested at end of year and expected to vest in the future10,450 $71.74 5.23106,818 

ESPP

The Company’s ESPP provides for the purchase of up to 60 million shares of CVS Health Corporation common stock. Under the ESPP, eligible employees may purchase common stock at the end of each six-month offering period at a purchase price equal to 90% of the lower of the fair market value on the first day or the last day of the offering period. During 2025, approximately 5 million shares of common stock were purchased under the provisions of the ESPP at an average price of
$40.85 per share. As of December 31, 2025, approximately 18 million shares of common stock were available for issuance under the ESPP.

The fair value of stock-based compensation associated with the ESPP is estimated on the date of grant (the first day of the six-month offering period) using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.

The following table is a summary of the assumptions used to value the ESPP awards for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
202520242023
Dividend yield (1)
2.60 %2.01 %1.54 %
Expected volatility (2)
37.40 %31.40 %25.61 %
Risk-free interest rate (3)
4.27 %5.31 %5.17 %
Expected life (in years) (4)
0.50.50.5
Weighted-average grant date fair value$10.30 $12.39 $14.26 
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(1)The dividend yield is calculated based on semi-annual dividends paid and the fair market value of CVS Health Corporation stock at the grant date.
(2)The expected volatility is estimated based on the historical volatility of CVS Health Corporation’s daily stock price over the previous six-month period.
(3)The risk-free interest rate is selected based on the Treasury constant maturity interest rate whose term is consistent with the expected term of ESPP purchases (i.e., six months).
(4)The expected life is based on the semi-annual purchase period.