Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Receives $284.48 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $284.48.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HUM shares. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Humana in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $326.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $283.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Humana from $322.00 to $273.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th.

Humana Stock Performance

HUM stock traded down $4.00 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $226.83. The stock had a trading volume of 1,708,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,776,429. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.49. Humana has a 52 week low of $212.45 and a 52 week high of $406.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $254.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $265.74. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 11.70% and a net margin of 1.02%. The business's revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Humana's dividend payout ratio is 25.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HUM. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,143,662 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its position in Humana by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 10,755,215 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,845,830,000 after purchasing an additional 557,175 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,397,808 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $608,348,000 after buying an additional 550,692 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

About Humana

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.