StockNews.com Downgrades Humana (NYSE:HUM) to Hold

Humana (NYSE:HUM) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Humana from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Raymond James raised shares of Humana from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Humana from $305.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $287.76.

Humana Stock Up 0.8 %

Humana stock opened at $258.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $31.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.95, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Humana has a 12 month low of $213.31 and a 12 month high of $406.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $270.63.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by $1.51. The company had revenue of $32.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 11.70% and a net margin of 1.02%. Humana’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.23 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Humana will post 16.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HUM. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 3rd quarter worth $631,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter valued at about $948,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Humana by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 24,357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,715,000 after buying an additional 6,755 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Humana by 4.1% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 2,254 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in Humana in the third quarter worth about $1,306,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.