Bank of America Raises Humana (NYSE:HUM) Price Target to $376.00

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) had its price target raised by Bank of America from $342.00 to $376.00 in a research note published on Monday, Benzinga reports. Bank of America currently has a neutral rating on the insurance provider's stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on HUM. Barclays decreased their price objective on Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $411.00 to $381.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Humana from $415.00 to $370.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Humana from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their target price for the stock from $595.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Argus lowered Humana from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $426.39.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM traded down $1.03 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $355.17. 1,430,358 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,950,869. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $322.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $375.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Humana has a 12 month low of $298.61 and a 12 month high of $530.54.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.12 by $1.11. Humana had a net margin of 1.82% and a return on equity of 17.76%. The business had revenue of $29.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.38 EPS. Humana's revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Humana will post 16.18 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 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Humana's payout ratio is 22.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of Humana stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Humana by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Humana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC lifted its stake in shares of Humana by 274.1% in the 4th quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 101 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.