Everence Capital Management Inc. Boosts Position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Everence Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,370 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 170 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Humana were worth $2,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of HUM. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in Humana by 4.0% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 5,709 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,484,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in Humana by 0.6% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 5,660 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,463,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of Humana by 0.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,906 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,135,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Humana by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 615 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. lifted its stake in Humana by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 29,809 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,971,000 after buying an additional 5,964 shares in the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita bought 545 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM stock opened at $317.42 on Wednesday. Humana Inc. has a one year low of $299.23 and a one year high of $541.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $345.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $426.43. The firm has a market cap of $38.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $26.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.47 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. Humana’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.62 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HUM shares. Argus downgraded Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $595.00 to $360.00 in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $391.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Humana from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $465.42.

Humana 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.