Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Price Down 1.1% After Analyst Downgrade

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) dropped 1.1% during mid-day trading on Friday after Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on the stock from $415.00 to $353.00. Royal Bank of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Humana traded as low as $307.00 and last traded at $308.01. Approximately 304,738 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 1,983,508 shares. The stock had previously closed at $311.41.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on HUM. 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. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Humana in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Argus cut shares of Humana from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Mizuho cut their price target on Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Humana from $450.00 to $385.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $433.74.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita bought 545 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Humana by 103.0% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 2,883 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 1,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $693,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Humana by 2.8% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 805 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 46.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,656 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $10,536,000 after acquiring an additional 6,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the third quarter valued at $213,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Humana Stock Down 1.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $328.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $395.71. The firm has a market cap of $36.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $1.11. Humana had a net margin of 1.82% and a return on equity of 17.76%. The company had revenue of $29.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.38 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Humana's payout ratio is 22.04%.

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.