Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the twenty-four ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $286.81.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HUM. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Humana in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $326.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Humana from $325.00 to $305.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Humana from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HUM. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 170,636 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $54,047,000 after buying an additional 3,961 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Humana by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 9,679 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,487,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Humana by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,848 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its position in Humana by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Brown Inc. grew its position in Humana by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 6,352 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,611,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of Humana stock traded down $23.73 during trading on Friday, reaching $229.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,840,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,752,217. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $27.65 billion, a PE ratio of 23.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.49. The business's 50-day moving average price is $265.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $270.41. Humana has a 52 week low of $213.31 and a 52 week high of $406.46.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.07 by $1.51. Humana had a return on equity of 11.70% and a net margin of 1.02%. The company had revenue of $32.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.23 EPS. Humana's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Humana's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.04%.

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.