Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Price Up 1.3%

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) shot up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $317.23 and last traded at $316.70. 248,590 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 2,007,200 shares. The stock had previously closed at $312.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HUM. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $342.00 price objective (down previously from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Argus cut shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Humana from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $465.42.

Humana Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $345.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $426.43. 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 firm has a market cap of $38.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.87). Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $26.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Point72 Europe London LLP bought a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Humana in the first quarter worth about $28,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.