Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Price Up 0.9%

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s stock price shot up 0.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $330.00 and last traded at $317.52. 1,683,413 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 1,699,094 shares. The stock had previously closed at $314.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HUM shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stephens lowered their price objective on Humana from $550.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Mizuho cut their target price on Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $465.42.

Humana Stock Up 0.9 %

The company has a market cap of $38.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $345.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $426.43.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). The company had revenue of $26.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.47 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.62 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.86%.

Insider Transactions at Humana

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUM. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Humana by 36.4% during the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,863 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Opinicus Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Humana by 59.1% during the first quarter. Opinicus Capital Inc. now owns 1,974 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its holdings in Humana by 93.7% in the first quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC increased its holdings in Humana by 34.2% in the first quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 2,157 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sendero Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Humana in the first quarter valued at about $283,000. 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.