Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Cigna Group has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from eighteen research firms, with two analysts recommending hold, fourteen recommending buy, and two giving a strong buy rating.
• The average twelve-month price target for Cigna Group among analysts is $371.81, with Barclays recently boosting its target to $383.00.
• Insider Nicole S. Jones sold 28,526 shares of Cigna Group, representing a 52.66% decrease in ownership, while the company's institutional investors own approximately 86.99% of the stock.

Shares of Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $371.8125.

Several research firms have issued reports on CI. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $365.00 target price on shares of Cigna Group in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $371.00 target price on shares of Cigna Group in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (down previously from $388.00) on shares of Cigna Group in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $372.00 price objective on shares of Cigna Group in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $354.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th.

Cigna Group Stock Up 0.7%

CI stock traded up $2.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $290.63. 244,379 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,796,381. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $77.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.48. The firm's 50 day moving average is $293.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.30. Cigna Group has a 1 year low of $256.89 and a 1 year high of $358.88.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.15 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $67.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $62.61 billion. Cigna Group had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 18.80%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.72 EPS. Cigna Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 29.600- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cigna Group will post 29.77 EPS for the current year.

Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 4th were paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 4th. Cigna Group's dividend payout ratio is 32.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cigna Group

In other news, insider Nicole S. Jones sold 28,526 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,557,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,648 shares in the company, valued at $7,694,400. This represents a 52.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cigna Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cigna Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cigna Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Cigna Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in Cigna Group by 360.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 92 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cigna Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

About Cigna Group

The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers.