572,534 Shares in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Acquired by 8 Knots Management LLC

8 Knots Management LLC purchased a new stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 572,534 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $145,258,000. Humana accounts for approximately 14.5% of 8 Knots Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. 8 Knots Management LLC owned 0.48% of Humana at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HUM. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $631,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter worth about $948,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Humana by 38.4% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 24,357 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,715,000 after purchasing an additional 6,755 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Humana by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 2,254 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Humana during the third quarter valued at about $1,306,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM stock traded down $6.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $256.11. 1,753,739 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,752,979. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. Humana Inc. has a 12-month low of $213.31 and a 12-month high of $406.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $266.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $270.62. The company has a market cap of $30.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by $1.51. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. The business had revenue of $32.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.23 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. Humana's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on HUM. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $283.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $326.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Humana from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $287.76.

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.