Humana (NYSE:HUM) Given New $353.00 Price Target at Royal Bank of Canada

Humana (NYSE:HUM) had its target price dropped by research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $415.00 to $353.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.69% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on HUM. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Humana from $415.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Humana from $411.00 to $381.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Mizuho dropped their target price on Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Humana from $334.00 to $326.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $433.74.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of HUM traded down $5.48 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $310.50. 858,586 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,991,986. The stock has a market cap of $37.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $329.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $396.94. Humana has a 12 month low of $299.23 and a 12 month high of $541.21.

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

Insider Transactions at Humana

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were bought 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 directly owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC boosted its position in Humana by 41.0% in the third quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 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.