Humana (NYSE:HUM) Price Target Raised to $245.00 at Barclays

Humana (NYSE:HUM) had its price target increased by Barclays from $234.00 to $245.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on HUM. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Humana in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Humana from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Humana in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Humana from $344.00 to $347.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Humana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $253.00 to $313.00 in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $294.89.

Humana Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $276.16 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $33.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $255.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $261.53. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Humana has a fifty-two week low of $206.87 and a fifty-two week high of $315.35.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.29. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 12.86%. The firm had revenue of $32.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter valued at $656,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in Humana by 136.0% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 118 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd purchased a new position in Humana in the 3rd quarter valued at about $259,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,724 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

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.