Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Short Interest Down 14.8% in April

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,120,000 shares, a decline of 14.8% from the March 31st total of 3,660,000 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,720,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HUM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Humana from $305.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James raised shares of Humana from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $287.76.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM traded up $1.60 on Thursday, hitting $254.72. The company had a trading volume of 350,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,743,117. 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 has a 52-week low of $213.31 and a 52-week high of $406.46. The company has a market cap of $30.74 billion, a PE ratio of 25.60, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50 day moving average of $265.66 and a 200 day moving average of $270.44.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. The business had revenue of $32.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.23 EPS. Humana's revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Humana's payout ratio is presently 25.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its position in shares of Humana by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Humana in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 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.