Humana (NYSE:HUM) Trading 0.1% Higher

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s stock price traded up 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $321.32 and last traded at $320.05. 196,568 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 2,042,076 shares. The stock had previously closed at $319.62.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HUM shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $595.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Humana from $550.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Humana in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. 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.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $465.42.

Humana Price Performance

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 market capitalization of $38.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.96, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $348.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $431.10.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $26.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 period last year, the firm posted $1.62 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Humana’s payout ratio is 17.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Point72 Europe London LLP purchased a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Humana during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.