Humana (NYSE:HUM) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Humana to “Buy” from “Hold”, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with a consensus price target of $403.91.
• Humana shares opened at $385.81, near their 52-week high of $428.88; the stock’s 200-day moving average was $310.88.
• Humana exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $7.61 in adjusted EPS versus a $7.27 estimate and $40.89 billion in revenue, up 26.2% year over year. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Evercore raised shares of Humana from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $480.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Humana from $350.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Humana from $316.00 to $393.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Humana in a report on Thursday, July 30th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC cut Humana to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $403.91.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $385.81 on Friday. Humana has a twelve month low of $163.11 and a twelve month high of $428.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $46.33 billion, a PE ratio of 36.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.74. The company's 50 day moving average is $388.62 and its 200 day moving average is $310.88.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $7.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.27 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $40.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $40.58 billion. Humana had a net margin of 0.88% and a return on equity of 11.20%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.27 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Humana will post 9 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Humana by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 70,185 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $27,879,000 after acquiring an additional 6,690 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Humana by 55.6% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,753 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,285,000 after acquiring an additional 2,055 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Humana by 24.5% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 470,587 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $186,927,000 after acquiring an additional 92,496 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Humana during the second quarter valued at $14,142,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Humana by 1.1% during the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,883 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,542,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Humana Company Profile

Humana Inc NYSE: HUM is a U.S.-based health insurance and health care services company focused primarily on government-sponsored programs. Its offerings include Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare prescription drug plans, Medicaid coverage and specialty insurance products, serving individuals, employers and government organizations.

Through its CenterWell business, Humana also provides senior-focused primary care, pharmacy services and home health care. These operations are designed to support coordinated care for older adults and other members with ongoing health care needs.

Humana was founded in 1961 as a nursing-home company and later expanded into hospital ownership before shifting its focus toward health insurance.

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