Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys 13,001 Shares of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Free Report) by 184.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,037 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 13,001 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in The Cigna Group were worth $5,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CI. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in The Cigna Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

The Cigna Group Stock Performance

Shares of CI stock traded up $4.00 on Friday, hitting $316.05. 2,732,235 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,804,111. The company has a market capitalization of $84.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.47. The company's fifty day moving average is $324.84 and its 200 day moving average is $309.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The Cigna Group has a 1-year low of $262.03 and a 1-year high of $370.83.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The health services provider reported $6.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.35 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $65.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.39 billion. The Cigna Group had a return on equity of 18.61% and a net margin of 1.39%. The firm's revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.47 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Cigna Group will post 29.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Cigna Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 3rd. The Cigna Group's payout ratio is 33.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CI. Barclays raised their target price on shares of The Cigna Group from $339.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Stephens dropped their price target on The Cigna Group from $410.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered The Cigna Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $323.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of The Cigna Group in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on The Cigna Group from $360.00 to $384.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $379.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO David Cordani sold 26,527 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.12, for a total value of $8,173,499.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 127,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,367,568.04. The trade was a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nicole S. Jones sold 4,904 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.12, for a total transaction of $1,511,020.48. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 29,421 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,065,198.52. This represents a 14.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 43,751 shares of company stock worth $13,603,991. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

About The Cigna Group

The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers.