Park Avenue Securities LLC Acquires 1,108 Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) by 12.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,743 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Humana were worth $2,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HUM. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Humana by 399.7% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,643 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $924,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 964,926 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $244,811,000 after acquiring an additional 65,735 shares in the last quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $323,000. South Dakota Investment Council boosted its position in shares of Humana by 39.9% during the 4th quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 153,317 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $38,898,000 after acquiring an additional 43,719 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Corp purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter valued at $905,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

Humana Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE HUM traded down $1.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $231.95. The company had a trading volume of 1,137,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,784,912. The stock has a market cap of $27.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.43. Humana Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.45 and a 52 week high of $406.46. The business's 50-day moving average is $252.85 and its 200-day moving average is $264.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.07 by $1.51. The company had revenue of $32.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $32 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.23 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. Humana's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on HUM. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Humana from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Guggenheim started coverage on Humana in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $326.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $290.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James raised Humana from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $284.48.

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.