Blueshift Asset Management LLC Invests $803,000 in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 2,534 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $803,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Humana by 244.0% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. lifted its position in Humana by 111.4% in the second quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 74 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Your Advocates Ltd. LLP boosted its holdings in Humana by 81.8% during the 3rd quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $296.83 on Thursday. Humana Inc. has a 12 month low of $213.31 and a 12 month high of $526.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $275.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $330.00.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by $0.68. The business had revenue of $29.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.66 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 13.20% and a net margin of 1.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 15.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on HUM shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Humana from $380.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Humana from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $387.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $315.86.

Humana 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.