Portland Investment Counsel Inc. Invests $62.30 Million in Cigna Group $CI

Portland Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 226,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $62,304,000. Cigna Group makes up approximately 17.4% of Portland Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Portland Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Cigna Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CI. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Cigna Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cigna Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 161.9% in the 1st quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 110 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cigna Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cigna Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.99% of the company’s stock.

Cigna Group Price Performance

NYSE:CI opened at $276.19 on Monday. Cigna Group has a 12-month low of $239.51 and a 12-month high of $315.47. The firm has a market cap of $72.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.29. The company’s 50-day moving average is $284.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $281.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $7.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $70.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.14 billion. Cigna Group had a net margin of 2.27% and a return on equity of 19.75%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.20 earnings per share. Cigna Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 30.450- EPS. Research analysts expect that Cigna Group will post 30.51 EPS for the current year.

Cigna Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid a $1.56 dividend. This represents a $6.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. Cigna Group’s payout ratio is presently 25.82%.

Insider Activity at Cigna Group

In other Cigna Group news, CAO Jamie G. Kates sold 899 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.61, for a total value of $268,450.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $707,108.48. The trade was a 27.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nicole S. Jones sold 2,677 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.61, for a total value of $748,515.97. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,236,306.80. This represents a 9.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 23,012 shares of company stock valued at $6,386,550 over the last ninety days. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on CI shares. Mizuho increased their price objective on Cigna Group from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Cigna Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Cigna Group in a report on Monday, June 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $304.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Cigna Group from $305.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.45.

Cigna Group Profile

Cigna Group (NYSE: CI) is a global health services company that offers a broad portfolio of healthcare products and insurance solutions for individuals, employers, and governments. Its core businesses include medical and behavioral health plans, dental and vision coverage, pharmacy benefit management, and supplemental health products. Cigna serves a mix of commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid customers and provides workplace benefits such as group health plans and disability and life benefits for employers.

In addition to traditional insurance products, Cigna operates health services and care-delivery platforms designed to manage costs and improve outcomes.