Meridiem Capital Partners LP Takes Position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Meridiem Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 36,513 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,264,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Integral Health Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter worth about $10,148,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Humana by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 589,287 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $149,508,000 after buying an additional 1,615 shares in the last quarter. Humankind Investments LLC boosted its stake in Humana by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Humankind Investments LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Humana by 38.9% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 32,593 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,269,000 after acquiring an additional 9,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 8,641 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,192,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of HUM traded up $9.95 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $237.42. The company had a trading volume of 2,548,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,765,981. Humana Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.45 and a 1 year high of $406.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.49. 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 company's 50-day simple moving average is $263.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.61.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.07 by $1.51. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. The company had revenue of $32.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.23 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 EPS for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.49%. Humana's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HUM shares. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Humana in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $326.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James raised Humana from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Humana from $325.00 to $305.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $286.81.

Humana Company 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.