Humana (NYSE:HUM) Trading 0.8% Higher

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s stock price was up 0.8% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $306.12 and last traded at $305.56. Approximately 309,162 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 1,971,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $303.15.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HUM shares. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on Humana from $391.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Humana from $415.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Raymond James started coverage on Humana in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Humana from $411.00 to $381.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Humana has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $424.50.

Humana Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $38.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $325.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $390.72.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.12 by $1.11. The firm had revenue of $29.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.52 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 1.82%. Humana’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.38 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 22.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of Humana stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 30.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,196 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,474,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in shares of Humana by 4.2% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Humana during the third quarter worth about $397,000. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its stake in shares of Humana by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 1,379 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, SkyOak Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter worth about $315,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Company Profile

Humana Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides medical and specialty insurance products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Insurance and CenterWell. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits.