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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Humana to “buy” from “hold,” adding to a broader positive shift in analyst sentiment. Humana now has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $453.30.
• Humana reported quarterly EPS of $7.61, exceeding the $7.27 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $40.89 billion and rose 26.2% year over year.
• The stock opened at $421.56, near its 12-month high of $456.50, with a market capitalization of approximately $50.62 billion. Institutional investors own 92.38% of Humana’s shares.

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

HUM has been the subject of a number of other reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Humana from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $300.00 to $460.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Humana to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Humana from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $520.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Piper Sandler raised Humana from a "hold" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $463.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Humana from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $453.30.

Humana Price Performance

Humana stock opened at $421.56 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Humana has a 12-month low of $163.11 and a 12-month high of $456.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.62 billion, a PE ratio of 24.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $397.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $351.07.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $7.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.27 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $40.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $40.58 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 11.20% and a net margin of 0.88%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 26.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Humana will post 9.03 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. EULAV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Humana during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,200,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 15.8% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,145 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $818,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in Humana by 5.1% in the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,956 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Humana by 3.9% during the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 19,219 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,333,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter valued at $142,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

Humana Company Profile

Humana Inc is a health and well-being company that provides insurance products and health care services in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company's primary business is government-sponsored health coverage, particularly Medicare Advantage plans for older adults, along with Medicare prescription drug plans, Medicaid coverage and certain commercial health insurance products.

Humana also operates CenterWell, its health care services platform focused on older adults. CenterWell includes primary care clinics, home health services and pharmacy services, with an emphasis on coordinated care, chronic-condition management and helping members receive care in lower-cost settings.

Founded in 1961 as a nursing-home company, Humana expanded into hospital operations before shifting its focus toward health insurance and related services.

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