Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Cigna Group from a “hold” to a “buy,” adding to a generally positive analyst outlook on the stock.
• Cigna recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.79 EPS versus the $7.60 consensus and revenue of $68.52 billion, up 4.6% year over year.
• Despite the bullish outlook, there has been some insider selling, including a large stock sale by CEO David Cordani and another sale by the CAO, while institutional investors continue to hold the vast majority of shares.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

CI has been the subject of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Cigna Group from $300.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $337.00 price objective on Cigna Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Cigna Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $303.00 to $302.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Cigna Group from $333.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Cigna Group from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $338.30.

Cigna Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of CI opened at $279.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $73.97 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.28. Cigna Group has a 12-month low of $239.51 and a 12-month high of $338.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's 50 day moving average is $283.79 and its 200 day moving average is $278.33.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The health services provider reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.19. Cigna Group had a net margin of 2.26% and a return on equity of 19.75%. The business had revenue of $68.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.74 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Cigna Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 30.350- EPS. Research analysts expect that Cigna Group will post 30.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Cigna Group

In other news, CEO David Cordani sold 201,878 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.82, for a total transaction of $59,113,915.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 34,337 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,054,560.34. The trade was a 85.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Jamie G. Kates sold 899 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.61, for a total transaction of $268,450.39. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $707,108.48. This trade represents a 27.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cigna Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CI. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Cigna Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of Cigna Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Cigna Group by 161.9% in the first quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 110 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cigna Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Cigna Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 86.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Cigna Group

Cigna Group NYSE: CI is a global health services company that offers a broad portfolio of healthcare products and insurance solutions for individuals, employers, and governments. Its core businesses include medical and behavioral health plans, dental and vision coverage, pharmacy benefit management, and supplemental health products. Cigna serves a mix of commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid customers and provides workplace benefits such as group health plans and disability and life benefits for employers.

In addition to traditional insurance products, Cigna operates health services and care-delivery platforms designed to manage costs and improve outcomes.

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