Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 25.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,021 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,458 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Humana were worth $7,792,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HUM. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Humana in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Nvwm LLC boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 41.0% during the third quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita bought 545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were acquired 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $324.83 on Friday. Humana Inc. has a 1-year low of $299.23 and a 1-year high of $541.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $343.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $425.01. The company has a market capitalization of $39.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). Humana had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The company had revenue of $26.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. Humana’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 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. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. Humana’s payout ratio is 17.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HUM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Humana from $507.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $391.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com lowered Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $465.42.

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.