Zacks Research Has Optimistic Opinion of Humana Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Humana Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $(1.13) from $(1.18), while projecting fiscal 2026 EPS of $9.05 and maintaining a “Hold” rating.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but broadly constructive: 15 analysts rate Humana a Buy, 14 a Hold and one a Sell, with a consensus price target of $408.61.
• Humana’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $7.61 versus $7.27 expected and revenue of $40.89 billion, up 26.2% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.885 per share, yielding about 0.9%.

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Humana in a research report issued on Tuesday, September 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of ($1.13) for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of ($1.18). Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Humana's current full-year earnings is $9.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Humana's Q4 2026 earnings at ($7.75) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.05 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($1.21) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($1.99) EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.23 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $29.45 EPS.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Humana from $246.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Humana from $269.00 to $471.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Humana from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $249.00 to $370.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Leerink Partners raised Humana from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $513.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $405.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Humana has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $408.61.

Humana Trading Down 1.1%

Humana stock opened at $382.71 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $385.70 and its 200-day moving average is $323.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.74. Humana has a 1 year low of $163.11 and a 1 year high of $428.88. The company has a market cap of $45.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.21, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.74.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $7.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.27 by $0.34. Humana had a return on equity of 11.20% and a net margin of 0.88%.The firm had revenue of $40.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $40.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.27 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a $0.8850 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Humana's dividend payout ratio is 33.49%.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUM. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in Humana during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Humana by 192.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 73 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

Key Humana News

Here are the key news stories impacting Humana this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $9.05 from $9.00, FY2027 EPS to $11.23 from $10.98, Q3 2026 EPS to $(1.13) from $(1.18), Q1 2027 EPS to $9.13 from $9.04, Q2 2027 EPS to $5.30 from $5.27, and Q4 2027 EPS to $(1.99) from $(2.10). The upward revisions point to slightly improved expectations for near- and medium-term profitability.
• Neutral Sentiment: The overall changes were small, and Zacks retained its Hold rating. The current full-year consensus remains $9.00 per share, indicating limited change in the broader earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $(7.75) from $(7.74), Q2 2028 EPS to $6.69 from $6.74, and FY2028 EPS to $29.45 from $30.30. These reductions signal some pressure on longer-term earnings expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: A report about a Medicare recipient receiving a questionable “Extra Help” call could raise general concerns about fraud and member communications, but it does not identify a material financial impact on Humana. Humana Extra Help call alarms Medicare recipient

About Humana

Humana Inc is a health and well-being company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, the company began as a nursing home operator before expanding into hospitals and health insurance. Today, Humana primarily provides health insurance products and healthcare services for older adults, individuals, military families and other members in the United States.

Humana's insurance business offers Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and prescription drug plans, as well as Medicaid coverage in select markets.

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