Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-four research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $286.81.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HUM shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Humana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Raymond James upgraded Humana from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Humana from $305.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

Humana Price Performance

NYSE HUM opened at $237.42 on Friday. Humana has a one year low of $212.45 and a one year high of $406.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $262.94 and a 200 day moving average of $269.47. The company has a market capitalization of $28.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by $1.51. The business had revenue of $32.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 11.70% and a net margin of 1.02%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.23 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Humana will post 16.47 EPS for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Humana by 399.7% in the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,643 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 2,914 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 6,647.5% during the 4th quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 27,260 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,916,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 735.9% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 219,002 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,563,000 after acquiring an additional 192,801 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 964,926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $244,811,000 after acquiring an additional 65,735 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Secure Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $244,000. 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.