Howard Capital Management Inc. Sells 2,022 Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Key Points

• Howard Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in Humana Inc. by 20.4%, now owning 7,880 shares worth approximately $2.08 million after selling 2,022 shares.
• Several other institutional investors, including Applied Finance Capital Management LLC and Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators, also adjusted their stakes, indicating heightened interest and activity surrounding Humana's stock.
• Humana's latest earnings report revealed an EPS of $6.27, missing estimates by $0.05, while revenue rose by 9.6% year-over-year to $32.39 billion.

Howard Capital Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) by 20.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,880 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,022 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Humana were worth $2,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 10,198,040 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,587,345,000 after acquiring an additional 5,264,045 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Humana by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,828,923 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,013,133,000 after purchasing an additional 219,541 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Humana by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,883,614 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $729,658,000 after purchasing an additional 63,562 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Humana by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,397,808 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $608,348,000 after purchasing an additional 550,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Humana by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,605,771 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $407,401,000 after purchasing an additional 160,952 shares during the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Stock Performance

NYSE:HUM traded down $2.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $247.19. 1,756,006 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,854,830. Humana Inc. has a one year low of $206.87 and a one year high of $382.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.44. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $235.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $255.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 1.95.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.32 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $32.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.85 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 1.28%. Humana's revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.96 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on HUM. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $320.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Humana from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays set a $275.00 price target on shares of Humana and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Humana from $305.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Humana presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $281.62.

Humana Profile

Humana Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides medical and specialty insurance products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Insurance and CenterWell. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits.