Humana (NYSE:HUM) Trading 0.2% Higher

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s share price traded up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $328.18 and last traded at $325.87. 298,915 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 1,970,095 shares. The stock had previously closed at $325.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens decreased their price target on Humana from $550.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet cut Humana from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 8th. Argus cut Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $342.00 target price (down previously from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $454.63.

Humana Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $329.24 and a 200-day moving average of $396.94. The firm has a market cap of $38.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $1.11. The firm had revenue of $29.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.52 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.38 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita bought 545 shares of Humana stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in Humana by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC boosted its stake in Humana by 41.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Humana

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.