Humana (NYSE:HUM) Shares Down 0.6%

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s share price traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $313.86 and last traded at $314.45. 187,994 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 2,014,160 shares. The stock had previously closed at $316.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $370.00 target price (down previously from $530.00) on shares of Humana in a research report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Humana from $450.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $391.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens decreased their target price on Humana from $550.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 8th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $465.42.

Humana Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $347.21 and a 200 day moving average of $429.35. The company has a market capitalization of $37.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). Humana had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The business had revenue of $26.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.62 earnings per share. Humana’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 $946,358.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wallace Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Humana by 14.3% during the first quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 681 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Humana by 124.6% during the first quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,201 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 1,221 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Humana by 4,705.9% during the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 817 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Humana during the first quarter worth approximately $5,240,000. Finally, Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Humana by 37.6% during the first quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.