Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Shares Purchased by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 25.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,021 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,458 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Humana were worth $7,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Humana during the first quarter worth $28,000. Nvwm LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 41.0% during the third quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM stock opened at $324.83 on Friday. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $343.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $425.01. Humana Inc. has a 52 week low of $299.23 and a 52 week high of $541.21. The company has a market cap of $39.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 17.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 8th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $342.00 target price (down from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $370.00 target price (down from $530.00) on shares of Humana in a research report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $465.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of Humana stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.