Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Stake Increased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,515 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,674 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Humana were worth $7,103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUM. Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Humana during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in Humana in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Nvwm LLC grew its stake in Humana by 41.0% in the third quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Humana in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Humana Stock Up 0.7 %

HUM opened at $314.70 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $346.29 and a 200-day moving average of $427.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Humana Inc. has a 1-year low of $299.23 and a 1-year high of $541.21.

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

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is 17.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of Humana stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HUM shares. Mizuho reduced 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. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $630.00 price target on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $595.00 to $360.00 in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Humana from $507.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $465.42.

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.