Cigna Group $CI Shares Purchased by Van Den Berg Management I Inc.

Key Points

• Van Den Berg Management I Inc. increased its Cigna Group stake by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 30,665 shares valued at about $8.44 million.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on Cigna, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $338.30, though Deutsche Bank recently downgraded the stock to Hold.
• Cigna reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including $7.79 EPS versus estimates of $7.60 and revenue of $68.52 billion; the company also announced a $1.56 quarterly dividend payable on June 18.

Van Den Berg Management I Inc. boosted its holdings in Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Free Report) by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,665 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,983 shares during the quarter. Cigna Group comprises approximately 1.9% of Van Den Berg Management I Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Van Den Berg Management I Inc.'s holdings in Cigna Group were worth $8,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CI. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Cigna Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Cigna Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Cigna Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cigna Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 147.3% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 136 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. 86.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cigna Group from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Cigna Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $303.00 to $302.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Cigna Group from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Cigna Group from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Cigna Group from $358.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $338.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO David Cordani sold 201,878 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $10,054,560.34. This trade represents a 85.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Jamie G. Kates sold 899 shares of Cigna Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.61, for a total value of $268,450.39. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $707,108.48. This represents a 27.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Cigna Group Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:CI opened at $292.01 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $283.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $278.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. Cigna Group has a 1 year low of $239.51 and a 1 year high of $338.89.

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

Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a $1.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Cigna Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.45%.

Cigna Group Company Profile

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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