Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Increases Holdings in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,444 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,340 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina owned 0.07% of Humana worth $20,156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HUM. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Atwood & Palmer Inc. grew its stake in Humana by 64.5% in the 4th quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 153 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

Humana Stock Down 6.7 %

NYSE:HUM traded down $19.01 on Thursday, hitting $266.60. The stock had a trading volume of 2,314,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,752,248. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $265.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $270.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $32.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62. Humana Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.31 and a 1 year high of $406.46.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.26) by $0.10. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. Analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Humana's payout ratio is currently 35.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HUM. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Humana from $305.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $283.00 target price on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on Humana from $270.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Humana currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $284.90.

Humana 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.