Humana (NYSE:HUM) Trading Down 0.3%

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) shares were down 0.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $323.20 and last traded at $323.77. Approximately 260,498 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 1,955,098 shares. The stock had previously closed at $324.63.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Humana in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Humana from $334.00 to $326.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $424.50.

Humana Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $323.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $385.94. The stock has a market cap of $39.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.49.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $1.11. Humana had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 1.82%. The business had revenue of $29.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.38 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.04%.

Insider Activity

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company 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 HUM. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its stake in Humana by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Humana by 17.3% during the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,311 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC increased its holdings in Humana by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,507,000 after buying an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in Humana in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,889,000. Finally, Catalyst Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at about $209,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by 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.