National Pension Service Purchases 10,496 Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its stake in Humana Inc. by 5.5%, now holding 202,903 shares valued at approximately $53.7 million.
• Humana's recent quarterly earnings report showed $6.27 earnings per share, missing estimates by $0.05, but revenue rose by 9.6% year-over-year, reaching $32.39 billion.
• Analyst ratings for Humana are primarily neutral, with a consensus price target of $281.45 and several firms adjusting their price targets recently.

National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 202,903 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,496 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.17% of Humana worth $53,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Humana by 8.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,972,872 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,697,222,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,662 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Humana by 6.1% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,828,923 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,013,133,000 after purchasing an additional 219,541 shares during the period. Davis Selected Advisers raised its position in shares of Humana by 3.3% during the first quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 2,331,343 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $616,873,000 after purchasing an additional 74,434 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Humana by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,605,771 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $407,401,000 after purchasing an additional 160,952 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Humana by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,216,195 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $308,561,000 after purchasing an additional 153,739 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:HUM traded up $5.39 on Friday, reaching $286.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,738,591 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,075,797. Humana Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.87 and a twelve month high of $382.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $242.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on HUM. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Humana from $300.00 to $297.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Humana from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Humana from $320.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Humana from $290.00 to $277.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Humana from $288.00 to $272.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $281.43.

Humana Company 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.