Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Makes New $13.44 Million Investment in Cigna Group $CI

Key Points

• Baker Ellis Asset Management bought 49,424 Cigna shares worth approximately $13.44 million, making Cigna its 20th-largest holding and about 1.4% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 86.99% of Cigna, while company insiders sold $6.29 million in shares during the latest quarter, primarily through pre-arranged trading plans.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $338.24. Cigna recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates and pays a $1.56 quarterly dividend, yielding about 2.2%.

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 49,424 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $13,435,000. Cigna Group accounts for approximately 1.4% of Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cigna Group by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 23,438,250 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $6,461,457,000 after acquiring an additional 840,098 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cigna Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,628,918,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Cigna Group by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,182,083 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $848,821,000 after buying an additional 256,677 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,426,218 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $647,008,000 after acquiring an additional 236,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Cigna Group during the second quarter valued at $542,779,000. Institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Cigna Group

In related news, insider Nicole Jones sold 2,677 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.61, for a total transaction of $748,515.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,236,306.80. The trade was a 9.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Everett Neville sold 617 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.05, for a total value of $175,258.85. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,435,304.65. The trade was a 10.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 22,730 shares of company stock valued at $6,293,359 in the last quarter. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim raised their target price on Cigna Group from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Cigna Group in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $362.00 target price on shares of Cigna Group in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Cigna Group in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Cigna Group in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $338.24.

Cigna Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CI traded up $7.04 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $289.57. The company had a trading volume of 1,396,313 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,671,362. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The business's 50 day moving average price is $277.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $281.29. Cigna Group has a 52 week low of $239.51 and a 52 week high of $311.34. The stock has a market cap of $76.52 billion, a PE ratio of 11.98, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.29.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $7.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $71.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.14 billion. Cigna Group had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 2.27%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.20 earnings per share. Cigna Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 30.450- EPS. Analysts expect that Cigna Group will post 30.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a dividend of $1.56 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $6.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Cigna Group's payout ratio is presently 25.82%.

About Cigna Group

The Cigna Group NYSE: CI is a global health company that provides health care and related services to individuals, employers, government organizations and health plans. Its operations are primarily organized through Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services, which together address health coverage, pharmacy services, care delivery and benefit management.

Cigna Healthcare offers medical, dental, behavioral health, disability and other benefits, with a focus on employer-sponsored and individual health plans in the United States as well as international health services.

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