Franklin Resources Inc. Reduces Holdings in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) by 17.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 915,186 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 190,529 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.74% of Humana worth $418,981,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Berger Financial Group Inc grew its stake in shares of Humana by 2.3% during the third quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc now owns 9,586 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,664,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Montag & Caldwell LLC grew its stake in shares of Humana by 124.6% during the third quarter. Montag & Caldwell LLC now owns 2,536 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,234,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Humana by 0.5% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 40,952 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $19,924,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Humana by 3.7% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,267,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Syon Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the third quarter worth about $551,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company's stock.

Humana Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE HUM traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $355.59. The stock had a trading volume of 953,611 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,940,752. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. Humana Inc. has a 1 year low of $298.61 and a 1 year high of $530.54. The stock has a market cap of $42.85 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $322.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $375.62.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.38 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Humana's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HUM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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. Argus cut Humana from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Humana from $415.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Humana from $415.00 to $353.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $426.39.

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.