GQG Partners LLC Buys Shares of 5,908,707 Cigna Group $CI

Key Points

• GQG Partners initiated a major Cigna stake, purchasing 5.91 million shares worth approximately $1.63 billion. The position represents about 3% of GQG’s portfolio and 2.24% of Cigna’s outstanding shares.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 86.99%, with Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street, Dodge & Cox, and Geode among the largest holders. Cigna insiders, meanwhile, sold 23,012 shares worth about $6.39 million over the past 90 days.
• Cigna reported quarterly EPS of $7.78, exceeding estimates, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $70.04 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $339.45, and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.56 per share.

GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,908,707 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,628,918,000. Cigna Group comprises about 3.0% of GQG Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. GQG Partners LLC owned approximately 2.24% of Cigna Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Cigna Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,173,577 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $7,203,754,000 after buying an additional 414,834 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised 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. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $3,396,132,000 after purchasing an additional 224,122 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox boosted its position in shares of Cigna Group by 19.7% in the 4th 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, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cigna Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,051,370 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,658,055,000 after purchasing an additional 48,474 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Cigna Group

In other Cigna Group news, CAO Jamie G. Kates sold 899 shares of Cigna Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.61, for a total value of $268,450.39. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $707,108.48. The trade was a 27.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Nicole S. Jones sold 2,677 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.61, for a total transaction of $748,515.97. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 25,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,236,306.80. This represents a 9.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 23,012 shares of company stock worth $6,386,550 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cigna Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Cigna Group from $333.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Cigna Group from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Cigna Group from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Cigna Group from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $320.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cigna Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $339.45.

Cigna Group Stock Performance

Shares of Cigna Group stock opened at $276.19 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $284.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $281.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $72.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.29. Cigna Group has a 12 month low of $239.51 and a 12 month high of $315.47.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $7.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.18. Cigna Group had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 2.27%.The firm had revenue of $70.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $70.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Cigna Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 30.450- EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Cigna Group will post 30.51 EPS for the current year.

Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $1.56 per share. This represents a $6.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. Cigna Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.82%.

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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