Ritholtz Wealth Management Buys 4,090 Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) by 504.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,901 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,090 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Humana were worth $2,244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Humana by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 81 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Nvwm LLC increased its holdings in Humana by 41.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Humana in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Humana Trading Down 0.8 %

HUM stock traded down $2.78 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $346.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,542,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,000,968. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $362.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $442.64. Humana Inc. has a 1 year low of $334.54 and a 1 year high of $541.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). The firm had revenue of $26.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $25.47 billion. Humana had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.62 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.04 EPS for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Humana's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on HUM shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Humana from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $630.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Humana from $550.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Barclays initiated coverage on Humana in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $356.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Humana from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $597.00 to $391.00 in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $494.00.

Humana 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.

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