Humana (NYSE:HUM) Shares Up 1.3%

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s share price rose 1.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $329.35 and last traded at $328.33. Approximately 187,551 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 1,949,665 shares. The stock had previously closed at $324.14.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on HUM. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $342.00 price target (down from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on Humana from $334.00 to $326.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Raymond James began coverage on Humana in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Humana presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $424.50.

Humana Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $322.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $384.70. The company has a market cap of $40.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Humana Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. Humana’s payout ratio is presently 22.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Trillium Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Humana by 17.3% during the first quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,299 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,490,000 after buying an additional 634 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the first quarter worth about $304,000. High Ground Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 41.6% during the 1st quarter. High Ground Investment Management LLP now owns 226,953 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $78,689,000 after acquiring an additional 66,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TBH Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Humana by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $526,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.