Zacks Research Has Optimistic View of Humana FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Humana to $9.02 from $9.01, while keeping a Hold rating on the stock. The new estimate is just above the current consensus of $9.00 per share.
• Humana recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $10.31 EPS versus the $9.97 estimate and revenue of $39.65 billion versus $39.37 billion expected. Revenue also rose 23.5% year over year.
• Despite the earnings lift, broader analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock carries a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $249.91. However, several firms have recently raised their targets, reflecting some optimism around the insurer.

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Humana in a research report issued on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will earn $9.02 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $9.01. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Humana's current full-year earnings is $9.00 per share.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $10.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.97 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $39.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.37 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 0.82%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.58 EPS. Humana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000- EPS.

HUM has been the subject of a number of other reports. Truist Financial upped their target price on Humana from $220.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Humana from $252.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Leerink Partners upped their target price on Humana from $185.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Humana from $235.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $249.91.

Humana Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:HUM opened at $304.95 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $205.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $226.57. The stock has a market cap of $36.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.68. Humana has a 1 year low of $163.11 and a 1 year high of $315.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hound Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Humana during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,073,000. SummitTX Capital L.P. purchased a new stake in Humana during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $834,000. Weiss Asset Management LP raised its stake in Humana by 45.0% during the 1st quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP now owns 40,891 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,090,000 after acquiring an additional 12,685 shares during the last quarter. Delta Global Management LP purchased a new stake in Humana during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $957,000. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its stake in Humana by 31.2% during the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 5,738 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $995,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Sanjay K. Shetty acquired 810 shares of Humana stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $185.21 per share, with a total value of $150,020.10. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 11,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,158,992.97. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Humana's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.86%.

Trending Headlines about Humana

Here are the key news stories impacting Humana this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Humana from “strong sell” to “hold”, which may be helping sentiment around the stock. Tickerreport.com
• Positive Sentiment: One report highlighted a higher price target for Humana (HUM), suggesting some analysts still see upside despite recent volatility. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Humana, CenterWell and USAA partnered with the VFW on a national day of service supporting veterans experiencing homelessness, a positive brand event but not a direct earnings driver. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut near-term and FY2026/FY2027 earnings estimates in several updates, including FY2026 to $9.01 from $9.90 and FY2027 to $13.26 from $14.16, signaling softer profitability expectations. MarketBeat HUM page
• Negative Sentiment: The same research house also projected a large loss in Q4 2026 and reduced estimates for several 2027 quarters, reinforcing concerns about earnings pressure ahead. MarketBeat HUM page

Humana Company Profile

Humana Inc NYSE: HUM is a health insurance company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that primarily serves individuals and groups across the United States. The company is best known for its Medicare business, offering Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug (Part D) coverage, alongside a range of commercial and employer-sponsored group health plans. Humana's products are designed to cover medical, behavioral health and pharmacy needs for members, with particular emphasis on seniors and Medicare-eligible populations.

In addition to traditional insurance products, Humana provides care-management and wellness services intended to support chronic-condition management, preventive care and care coordination.

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