First Trust Advisors LP Decreases Holdings in Cigna Group $CI

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP cut its Cigna Group stake by 13.7% in the first quarter, selling 34,430 shares and ending with 217,766 shares valued at about $58.1 million.
• Cigna insiders sold shares: CEO David Cordani sold 201,878 shares in May, and CAO Jamie G. Kates sold 899 shares in June, both under pre-arranged trading plans.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $7.79 beating estimates and revenue of $68.52 billion topping expectations; Cigna also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.56 per share.

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Free Report) by 13.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 217,766 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 34,430 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.08% of Cigna Group worth $58,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,173,577 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $7,203,754,000 after purchasing an additional 414,834 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Cigna Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,339,250 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,396,132,000 after purchasing an additional 224,122 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Cigna Group by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,805,083 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,249,113,000 after purchasing an additional 903,334 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox lifted its stake in Cigna Group by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 11,138,614 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,065,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833,389 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GQG Partners LLC boosted its position in Cigna Group by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 7,763,295 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,136,699,000 after buying an additional 972,302 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cigna Group news, CEO David Cordani sold 201,878 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.82, for a total transaction of $59,113,915.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,337 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,054,560.34. The trade was a 85.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.61, for a total transaction of $268,450.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at $707,108.48. This trade represents a 27.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Cigna Group Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:CI opened at $290.06 on Friday. Cigna Group has a 1 year low of $239.51 and a 1 year high of $315.47. The company has a market cap of $76.73 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock's 50-day moving average is $286.05 and its 200 day moving average is $280.78.

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

Cigna Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.56 per share. This represents a $6.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. Cigna Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Cigna Group from $355.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Raymond James Financial set a $340.00 target price on Cigna Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $337.00 price target on Cigna Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Cigna Group from $334.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Cigna Group from $333.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cigna Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $338.80.

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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