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CVS Health expands board to 16 members, hedge fund CEO adds
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CVS Health expands board to 16 members, hedge fund CEO adds

CVS Health has added four new board members, including the CEO of a hedge fund that has been critical of the struggling health care giant.

The company said Monday it had expanded its board to 16 members following “productive discussions” with shareholder Glenview Capital Management.

The hedge fund owns about a 1% stake in the company, according to data firm FactSet.

Glenview said CVS Health, which has cut its forecast several times this year, is performing well below its potential.

Glenview CEO Larry Robbins will take a seat on CVS Health’s board. The company will also add H2 Health President and CEO Guy Sansone, OneMain Holdings President Doug Shulman and Leslie Norwalk, former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The additional board members “will add fresh thinking and deep market and industry experiences as we focus on increasing financial and operational performance,” CVS Health Executive Chairman Roger Farah said in a statement.

The additions should come as no surprise after Glenview acquired its stake and made public comments about the company, Leerink Partners analyst Michael Cherny said in a note.

He added that the board expansion doesn’t change anything “beyond where we think CVS has already started to right the ship.”

CVS Health Corp., based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, runs one of the nation’s largest drugstore chains and a huge pharmaceutical benefits management business that operates prescription drug coverage for employers, insurers and others big customers. It also covers nearly 27 million people through its Aetna insurance arm.

The company focused on repairing its insurance business, which had dragged its overall performance for several quarters. It also operates under new management, with long-time company director David Joyner replacing Karen Lynch as CEO last month.

The company’s shares, which have fallen for most of this year, climbed more than 3 percent to $54.96 in morning trading on Monday.