Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Cuts Stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) by 84.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,028 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 15,987 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Humana were worth $768,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Humana by 399.7% during the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,643 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 2,914 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in Humana by 735.9% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 219,002 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $55,563,000 after purchasing an additional 192,801 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $244,811,000 after purchasing an additional 65,735 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $244,000. Finally, denkapparat Operations GmbH bought a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $323,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HUM traded up $9.20 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $247.16. 2,094,086 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,768,617. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.49. Humana Inc. has a one year low of $212.45 and a one year high of $406.46. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $262.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $269.57.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $32.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. Humana's dividend payout ratio is 25.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HUM has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Humana from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James upgraded shares of 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. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $326.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Humana from $270.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $286.81.

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.