Humana (NYSE:HUM) Trading Up 0.9% Following Dividend Announcement

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) was up 0.9% on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $331.00 and last traded at $326.39. 415,977 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,993,478 shares. The stock had previously closed at $323.46.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Humana's payout ratio is 17.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HUM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $342.00 target price (down previously from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays dropped their price target on Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Mizuho cut their target price on Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet downgraded Humana from a "b" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $630.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $465.42.

Humana Trading Up 0.4 %

The company's 50 day moving average price is $343.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $425.01. The firm has a market cap of $39.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.87). Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company had revenue of $26.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.62 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its position in shares of Humana by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Humana by 2.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 805 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 8,292 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,247,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN increased its position in shares of Humana by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 343 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Humana by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 582 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.