Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stock Position in Cigna Group $CI

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management dramatically increased its Cigna stake in Q4, buying 3.14 million additional shares and bringing its holdings to 3.17 million shares worth about $900.9 million.
• Cigna reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $7.79 topping estimates and revenue of $68.52 billion also exceeding forecasts. The company also said quarterly revenue rose 4.6% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.56 per share, implying an annualized payout of $6.24 and a yield of about 2.2%. Meanwhile, analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy on the stock.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Free Report) by 13,333.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,165,408 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,141,844 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 1.18% of Cigna Group worth $900,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Cigna Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cigna Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Cigna Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Cigna Group by 1,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 138 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Cigna Group by 116.4% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 158 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on CI. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $303.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $333.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $374.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $334.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cigna Group from $333.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cigna Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $338.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO David Cordani sold 201,878 shares of Cigna Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.82, for a total value of $59,113,915.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,337 shares in the company, valued at $10,054,560.34. This trade represents a 85.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Everett Neville sold 1,719 shares of Cigna Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.91, for a total transaction of $496,636.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,638,119.70. The trade was a 23.26% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 205,904 shares of company stock worth $60,277,068 in the last 90 days. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cigna Group Price Performance

CI stock opened at $285.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Cigna Group has a one year low of $239.51 and a one year high of $338.89. The stock has a market cap of $75.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $275.97.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.19. Cigna Group had a net margin of 2.26% and a return on equity of 19.75%. The business had revenue of $68.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $66.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.74 EPS. The business'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. On average, analysts predict that Cigna Group will post 30.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cigna Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a $1.56 dividend. This represents a $6.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. Cigna Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.45%.

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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